Inauguration of the remodelled Miracle Beach seafront promenade in Tarragona

This morning the Port of Tarragona officially inaugurated the remodelled Miracle Beach seafront promenade. It is the culmination of the project to improve the connection between the city and its seafront, together with the pedestrian footbridge opened to the public on 21 June 2018.

The inaugural ceremony for the promenade was presided over by Josep Maria Cruset, president of the Port of Tarragona; Damià Calvet, the Catalan Regional Government Minister for Territory and Sustainability; and Josep Fèlix Ballesteros, the mayor of Tarragona. Also present were the Government Subdelegate in Tarragona, Joan Sabaté, and the Secretary General of the State Ports Authority, Álvaro Sánchez, among other authorities.

Following the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony, the authorities and the numerous members of the public in attendance walked along the remodelled Miracle Beach seafront promenade. They were accompanied by the Port of Tarragona specialists responsible for the execution of the work, who explained the project in detail. This was followed by the authorities’ speeches and the uncovering of the plaque commemorating the ceremony.

Josep Maria Cruset, president of the Port of Tarragona, emphasised that with this new seafront promenade "the Port of Tarragona has reaffirmed its commitment to look towards the city that hosts it and to work for the benefit of its citizens". Mr Cruset reiterated that the remodelling of the area has been carried out "under inclusive criteria, as it is also designed for the enjoyment of people with reduced mobility and the visually-challenged. It is a remodelled area designed to allow the people of Tarragona to enjoy the sea". The president of the Port of Tarragona considers this new phase of opening up to the city “links with everything we have done up until now. The footbridge overcomes the difference in height between the city centre and the sea. The promenade allows the distribution of the flow of people in parallel along the seafront and, in addition, makes it easier for people to reach Kilometre 0 on the Port of Tarragona breakwater, placing at the disposal of the city and its visitors up to four linear kilometres of space for walking, cycling or running".

Josep Maria Cruset expressed his gratitude to “all those who have made this project possible", making special mention of his predecessor in the presidency of the Port of Tarragona, Josep Andreu, as the initial driving force behind it, at the same time as encouraging the citizens to make the most of their remodelled promenade from now on.

For his part, Minister Damià Calvet celebrated the fact that “this area for enjoyment” has been placed at the disposal of all the citizens, because “Tarragona is a city of sea”. Mr Calvet explained that “ports were once the city’s ‘back of the store’ and perhaps not enough care was taken of them; fortunately that has not been the case for many years now, as local and national administrations have become more aware of them and the residents have demanded the connection of the port with the city”. The Minister gave his support to “more and better” connections between the port and the city on those stretches where they had still not been made.

The Mayor of Tarragona, Josep Fèlix Ballesteros, said how much he appreciated the effort by the Port to connect the city with the sea through this project and that of the elevated walkway. “I am doubly grateful for this work that is the sum of the many projects that have been undertaken, such as the improvements to the Serrallo fishing quarter and the Costa Wharf, among others. “A Costa Wharf that is an unbeatable centre of cultural activities”.

The Mayor also commented that the city will enjoy a magnificent promenade for the use of its citizens and for family life. In his opinion, “when the city and the Port complement each other, everybody wins”.

A project for the city of Tarragona and its visitors

The work financed and carried out by the Port of Tarragona covers a stretch of 650 metres, from the entrance to the Marina to the limit of the Port Authority’s area. The urbanisation of the Miracle Beach seafront promenade has allowed the reorganisation of the area, with improvements to the pedestrian zones, including a variable-width pavement (minimum 3 metres, maximum 8 metres). The Miracle Beach promenade now has a two-way, 2.80-metre-wide cycle lane with a safety distance of 1.2 metres from the pavement, complemented by landscaping and urban furniture.

As far as the gardens are concerned, the Port of Tarragona has maintained its commitment to sustainable landscaping with native Mediterranean plants and allochthonous species adapted to the climate that can support long periods of drought, strong winds, salinity and a soil poor in organic matter. As a whole, the chosen species (Mediterranean aromatic plants and bushes, bulbs, climbing plants and native and non-native grasses of different colours) favour the survival of pollinating insects, such as butterflies and bees. The bushes and trees also provide a refuge for other wild species, including birds.

The new area is fully accessible and a new beach access ramp has been built. Tactile paving has also been laid along the whole length of the promenade to indicate the itineraries and the pedestrian crossings, which are slightly raised to improve pedestrian safety. The area designed for walking has all been built on the same level and all architectural barriers have been removed.

Work on the remodelled Miracle Beach seafront promenade began last May and took nine months to complete. It was carried out in different phases to allow vehicle and pedestrian traffic to continue in the area, while reducing the day-to-day impact on the zone. The total cost was one million euros.

As part of the design of the promenade, right in front of the footbridge lifts there is a balconet, a replica of the Balcony over the Mediterranean at the end of the Rambla Nova. It reinforces the idea of the union of the city with the Mediterranean Sea.

The new Miracle Beach seafront promenade in figures:

El mobiliari urbà està format per 30 bancs, 2 fonts d'aigua, 10 papereres i quatre zones d’aparcar bicis.

The urban furniture consists of 30 benches, 2 water fountains, 10 litter bins and four bicycle parking zones.

New lighting has been installed on the promenade consisting of double-height columns to illuminate both the road and the pavement:

• 30 new LED light points.

• Height of the lighting for vehicles: 7 metres.

• Height of the lighting for pedestrians: 6 metres

Pel que fa als principals espais, el nou passeig té:

• 3,600 square metres of pavement consisting of 150,000 red ceramic paving stones

• 1,600 square metres of gardens:

    o 71 new trees (pines, olives and tamarinds.

    o 3,150 plants and bushes

    o 35 different species

    o All the landscaping has been selected for low water consumption with species that are well adapted to the Mediterranean climate and especially the coast.

    o A wall of vegetation to separate the promenade from the railway lines

•1,900 square metres of bicycle lane painted red and separated from the vehicle zone by 420 reflecting recycled-plastic dividers.