Inauguration of the Port Footbridge linking the sea and the Port to the city

Published in 2018

21 Jun
2018

This project is the response to a longstanding demand for a way to cross the “iron barrier” of the railway line

The Port of Tarragona is today inaugurating the footbridge that connects the sea and seafront promenade in just a seven-minute walk.

The ceremony began at the top of the footbridge, on the Baixada de Toro, where the inaugural ribbon was cut. The participants then walked down to the seafront promenade led by a band and the “nanos pescadors” (folklore figures). When they reached the seafront, the speeches were given.

The president of the Port, Josep Andreu, wished to thank all those who participated in the project and reminded those present that “the footbridge is just part of the more wide-ranging seafront promenade remodelling project”, which will be completed in early 2019 and will “round off this project that aims to breathe new life into the Tarragona port façade”.

For his part, the Catalan Government’s Minister for Territory and Sustainability, Damià Calvet, congratulated the city for the project being inaugurated today and praised the task of Josep Andreu at the head of the Port of Tarragona. Calvet took advantage of his speech to reiterate the long-standing demand to the Ministry of Development, represented by the central government’s delegate to Catalonia, Teresa Cunillera, for the Mediterranean Corridor, a project essential for the future of the Port of Tarragona.

During her speech, her first official ceremony as the Spanish government delegate in Catalonia, Teresa Cunillera emphasised the consensus between different administrations that allowed the Port Footbridge to become a reality and affirmed the importance of a dialogue between the Catalan and national governments in order to reach agreement on the infrastructures needed by the territory.

The mayor of Tarragona, Josep Fèlix Ballesteros, closed the ceremony explaining that “today we have seen a dream come true for Tarragona, as it responds to a historical demand”. Ballesteros ended his speech by stating that “with this footbridge we have a promenade, La Rambla, that links the River Francolí and the Mediterranean Sea”.

Technical Information

The project consisted of building a 300-linear-metre pedestrian footbridge across the railway lines close Tarragona train station, connecting the urban centre of the city with El Miracle Beach, the Marina and the Port of Tarragona leisure and cultural zone.

The footbridge is a metal structure on concrete pillars and it is geometrically designed to obtain a maximum gradient of 6% and with the least possible structure to create the minimum visual impact.

It also incorporates two lifts at the seafront end to ascend the first height difference of some eight metres between the seafront promenade and the upper level of the crossing over the railway lines. An access amp has also been built in the direction train station in the Passeig d’Espanya area.

The footbridge was built by Vías y Construcciones S.A. Work began on 8 September 2016 and was completed on 31 May this year. The total cost was 1,675,778 euros (excluding VAT).