The PSOE has announced a proposal to place Palma's Vía de Cintura (Ma-20) underground, seeking to unite outlying neighbourhoods with the city centre and reclaim surface space for green infrastructure. The Socialists, through both the Consell de Mallorca and Palma City Council, are set to table a motion calling for a preliminary study into the feasibility of tunnelling the major ring road.
The initiative, outlined on Wednesday by Sofia Alonso—deputy spokesperson for the PSOE group at the Consell—alongside councillor-elect Joan Ferrer, and Palma City Council members Francesc Dalmau and Daniel Oliveira, also attracted support from local residents’ associations, including those representing Son Gotleu, Nou Llevant, Rafal Vell, Rafal Nou and Son Malferit.
The plan seeks to 'eliminate the road barrier dividing entire districts from the city centre and transform the freed space into an extensive green corridor with public spaces, community facilities, and pedestrian as well as cycle routes,' according to the party.
Alonso described the Vía de Cintura as "a scar on Palma, creating inequalities and separating entire neighbourhoods from the urban core." She argued that overcoming this division is crucial for the city's social fabric, emphasising that areas such as Son Gotleu, Nou Llevant, La Soledat, Son Malferit and Rafal Vell have long suffered urban and socio-economic disconnection. 'The tunnelling would stitch these districts back together and offer them new opportunities,' she said.
Project Stages and Funding Strategy
The motion proposes a phased approach, with the initial stage focused on improving links for the most vulnerable districts adjacent to the Vía de Cintura, with a view to extending integration along the rest of Palma's ring road. The proposal calls for collaboration and co-funding from all relevant levels of government—Palma City Council, the Balearic Government and the Government of Spain—and also involves exploring options for European financing.
Alonso highlighted the metropolitan scope of the plan: 'This is a significant metropolitan initiative that demands institutional collaboration and European backing. We believe a project like this deserves national support through the road infrastructure agreement.' She stressed that the motion includes provisions for a thorough viability study and for early consultation with affected residents’ associations.
Councillor Dalmau encouraged the centre-right Popular Party to 'go further and focus on the city, putting people before cars.' The Socialists envision transforming the current road into a green ring serving as both an urban lung and a space for social cohesion. 'It’s not only about transport, but about quality of life for tens of thousands of Palma residents currently isolated in neighbourhoods we seek to reconnect,' Dalmau stated.
Advocates believe the project will reclaim pedestrian, cycling and sports areas and create new facilities, reversing what they described as previous decisions by the PP that privatised sites originally intended for public services. The motion will be discussed at Thursday's Consell de Mallorca plenary, while the Palma City Council is expected to debate it at its session later in January.