Work on altering the Paseo Marítimo in Palma will begin within a month, the contract for the work having been signed on Monday. The budget is 37,598,985 euros plus IVA (VAT); the work will take twenty months. Antoni Verger, head of planning and infrastructure at the Balearic Ports Authority, says that there will not be any cuts to traffic but that there will be detours.
The mayor of Palma, José Hila, says that "an historic demand" is being met. A project agreed with the ports authority, residents and businesses, he stresses that the "commercial fabric" will receive a boost, while "the barrier that separates the city from the sea will be eliminated and up to 2,000 trees and shrubs will be planted". "This is a project that is highly desired by the city. It is our front, but the fact is that right now it is a highway. We are going to overcome this."
In pacifying traffic, one lane in both directions will be permanently eliminated, pavements will be broadened, and there will be twice as many zebra crossings as at present. Around 1,000 parking spaces will go, to be compensated for by new car parks.
An issue that still need resolving concerns the expropriation of the space occupied by the Social Club and the steps that connect the Paseo with the Bahía Mediterráneo building. A ports authority combined estimate is 530,000 euros, whereas the businesses affected are seeking a total of five million.