The Generalitat tenders two key tram works in Vila-seca for €14.4 million

The Generalitat has put out to tender the construction of a viaduct on Ramon d'Olzina Avenue and a pedestrian underpass for the TramCamp to cross the tracks and reach the Vila-seca train station. The planned investment is €14.4 million and the works will last 15 months.

The Camp de Tarragona tram is progressing towards its connection with the train station of Vila-seca. The Generalitat has tendered the construction of a new viaduct on Ramon d'Olzina Avenue and an underpass for pedestrians, two infrastructures that will allow the TramCamp to cross the railway line and reach the Vila-seca Estació stop. The planned investment is €14.4 million and the execution period is 15 months, according to diaridetarragona.com.

The Ramon d'Olzina viaduct will be 42.4 meters long and will replace the current crossing, which is only 10 meters wide, allowing only car traffic in both directions and pedestrian access via an elevated walkway installed in 2020. The new structure will be a deck without intermediate pillars, supported by a metal lattice, similar to the one already placed in Raval de la Mar to span the line between Tarragona and Salou.

This work will create space under the tracks for the tram platform and a segregated lane for pedestrians and bicycles, while maintaining two lanes for vehicular traffic. The height of the deck will vary and will reach 6 meters in the central part to allow for the overhead wires. This point is strategic in the Camp de Tarragona network, as it is where the trams in service converge with those entering and leaving the operational centre, and the network will bifurcate in the second phase towards La Canonja and Tarragona.

The other infrastructure tendered is a pedestrian underpass that will connect the area around the CAP (Castellet Street) with the new tram stop and the station platforms. It will be a concrete box 14 meters wide and 14 meters long that will be installed under the tracks, at the back of the health centre, and will have access ramps.

These works will be added to those already underway between Cambrils, Salou, and Vila-seca, and will be coordinated with the construction of the operational centre, whose works began this summer. The tendering of these two infrastructures is essential to complete the first phase of the tram, as without them, the tracks cannot be laid, the route electrified, or the section up to Vila-seca station urbanised.

The Generalitat's Department of Territory expects to award the works in the coming months. Once completed, the tram will connect the centre of Vila-seca with the train station, facilitating modal interchange between the TramCamp and Rodalies services. Local residents will see how the current crossing is transformed into a wider and safer viaduct, with a pedestrian and cycling route separated from traffic.