The Spanish Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente, this morning attended the official inauguration of the Paseo Marítimo seafront after almost three years of construction work. Puente travelled to Mallorca accompanied by the Secretary of State for Sustainable Mobility, José Antonio Santano, and was also accompanied by the president of Puertos del Estado, Gustavo Santana.
The minister took a walk around the area and was accompanied on this inaugural visit by the President of the Balearics, Marga Prohens, the Mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez, and the President of the Council of Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés, as well as other authorities. Local residents and shopkeepers and restaurateurs located on the seafront, who have had to endure almost three years of construction work, were also invited to the official opening. In fact, the entire renovation process began in November 2022.
Puente was able to see the transformation undergone by the promenade which has now been redesigned with the aim of giving more space to pedestrians and easing traffic, with the elimination of traffic lanes, the widening of pavements and the extension of areas designated as green spaces.
The work has cost the Balearic Port Authority (APB) €43 million. The work was supposed to take 20 months, but in the end it took almost three years.
According to the agreement signed by the APB and Palma City Council in December 2020, the former was to be responsible for the remodelling and improvement of the promenade, while the latter undertook to cover the cost of certain maintenance, conservation and management expenses. Puente also reached out to the regional government to promote Mallorca’s rail network and reinstate the road agreement.
During his speech at an event held later at the headquarters of the Balearic Port Authority (APB), Puente reiterated his willingness to analyse the feasibility of the planned actions to expand Mallorca’s rail network. This issue, he noted, was one of the topics discussed during the visit to the seafront promenade, which was also attended by the regional minister for Housing, Mobility and Transport, José Luis Mateo.
‘In these scenarios, dialogue and agreements are very easy. We are waiting for some data on demand and profitability that we have requested, and we have arranged to meet to discuss the future of railways in Mallorca,’ he said. The minister reaffirmed the government’s ‘maximum interest’ in these projects, given that railways are the ‘big bet’ for sustainable mobility.
Puente recalled that agreements have already been signed with Tenerife and Gran Canaria to promote trains in the Canary Islands and considered that ‘Mallorca cannot be left behind’. ‘We are absolutely committed to the growth of the railway network and the Government will stand alongside the Regional Government to make progress in this area,’ he insisted. With regard to the road agreement, he assured that ‘there is no problem in continuing to move forward’ with its recovery.