Historically, the planning and construction of roads has focused on cars and car-based mobility, and applied traffic-centred criteria such as capacity, speed, user comfort and safety. However, in recent years the integration of road infrastructure into the urban landscape, and attempts to minimise the impact on pedestrians, has given rise to new initiatives and an approach more in keeping with today’s world, in which environmental sustainability and quality of life for citizens takes precedence.

The integration of new roads with other, cleaner forms of mobility that are experiencing growth (e.g. cycling) requires a more congenial and human approach

The United Nations’ New Urban Agenda makes it clear that in order to improve sustainability, simultaneous progress is required in environmental, social and economic terms. In order to make a positive impact on our surroundings it is vital that these three elements are integrated with a holistic vision. Sustainable development must therefore proceed in parallel with economic development, the improvement of citizen well-being and ecological balance.

Making cities greener, more accessible, quieter and cleaner requires an approach to reform that is based on the analysis of multiple criteria. The integration of new roads with other, cleaner forms of mobility that are experiencing growth (e.g. cycling) requires a more congenial and human approach. However, transforming communication routes, which sometimes cut off and mutilate the urban environment, can be a complex challenge due to the fact that the existing infrastructure and buildings are themselves a constraint.

The study carried out by Ineco on a 1.4-km section of Avenida Alfonso Molina incorporates the construction of paths that will organise and provide solutions for the shared use of the road by drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.

Moreover, the humanisation of road margins in the urban environment makes it clearer to drivers that they are entering a new environment and should adapt their driving accordingly, e.g. by reducing their speed when they approach crossings and paying closer attention to their surroundings. This also helps to improve road safety in the urban environment.

The Spanish Urban Agenda identifies 10 primary goals which, in turn, involve the achievement of 30 specific objectives.

In recent years, and in line with the changing approach to the issue of roads in the urban environment, Ineco has been incorporating humanisation measures into the road-related projects that it carries out. Such considerations were taken into account when drawing up the construction plans for Improving the capacity of Avenida Alfonso Molina (highway AC-11), which comprises the main route of access into the city of A Coruña in north-west Spain.

Improvements to Avenida Alfonso Molina in A Coruña

The project’s main aim is to solve the congestion problems of a particular section of the road by increasing its capacity and improving connectivity, while at the same time improving the integration of the infrastructure into the urban environment and taking into account the key criteria of equal, fair and sustainable development as specified in the Urban Agenda.

The study proposes the incorporation of paths and walkways shared by pedestrians and cyclists, which would enable coexistence with the road’s vehicular traffic while ensuring adequate levels of road safety and permeability of the road margins.

The road was build in the mid-20th century and is wide, with three lanes in each direction and, in certain sections, a service road on either side. At its far north-western end the road ends at the port of A Coruña, almost at the entrance to the city’s old quarter.

The paths designed by Ineco allow for the segregation of vehicles and cyclists, unlike at present. / INFOGRAPHIC_MITMA

When it was built, the road passed through the rural population centres outside the city and provided a new link between the city and the countryside. Traditionally, transport routes had run parallel to the sea in the bay of A Coruña. Over time, other urban planning projects, such as the construction of residential buildings in Elviña and Barrio de las Flores and the industrial estates of Matogrande, Someso and Parque Ofimático, have increased traffic pressure in the area, as has the addition of traffic from the AP-9 highway.

The plan drawn up by Ineco focuses on a 1.4-km (approx.) section of Avenida Alfonso Molina that lies on the outskirts of the city, between Avenida San Cristóbal (AC-10) and the connections to highways AP-9 and AC-11. As stated above, the plan’s main aim is to solve the traffic problems for the section in question. According to the available data, in 2016 this section was used by 124,037 vehicles per day, of which 5.1% were heavy vehicles. Currently, this translates to a Level of Service (LOS) F while entering the city and LOS E while exiting. This results in regular traffic jams and hold-ups at peak times and during specific events, which in turn causes a large number of accidents of various types.

Elevation of the walkway to resolve the intersection of the pedestrian route above Avenida García Sabell at junction 2 (POCOMACO-Matogrande).

At present, large numbers of pedestrians use the road margins, owing to the presence of several shopping centres, hotels, residential buildings and bus stops. The plan incorporates the environmental adaptation of the road margins and the inclusion of paths enabling complete integration between vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, ensuring they can all transit through the area in safety. Moreover, the walkway design ensures the permeability of the road infrastructure.

The aim is to increase the humanisation of the section by improving the transit process for pedestrians and cyclists, thereby enhancing their safety and transit experience. The plan also aims to provide both residents and passers-by with a more congenial and attractive environment through the use of physical, visual and acoustic separation. Generally speaking, it is a plan of an eminently urban nature, in which the concept of functionality takes precedence over mobility. The study sought to achieve a balance between the regulatory requirements and recommendations (including the Accessibility Code published by the government of Galicia’s ministry of Social Affairs and the document published by the Spanish ministry of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda (MITMA) on Accessibility in urban public spaces and developing viable solutions whose costs are not disproportionate.

The connection to pedestrian access points near the bus stops and walkways ensures transverse permeability throughout the entire section

Shared use of the road

Prioritising pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users and enabling them to interact with the road in harmony and safety, while providing a quality environment, is one of the priority aims of this action. The area in which the work will be carried out has a gentle gradient of around 5%.

Wherever possible, the paths have been designed with a different elevation to the AC-11 in order to provide a clear differentiation of uses and protect the path users. The plan has made efforts to adapt the road’s longitudinal section to the accessibility requirements, with maximum gradients of 8% and the placement of horizontal intermediate platforms to serve as rest areas where necessary.

The plan includes a review of the bus stops in order to ensure they remain connected to the road and the paths without any interference to or from pedestrians above the road.

A maximum width of five metres was established as a design criterion; however, this was not always possible owing to the fact that buildings and related installations limited the amount of space available on the road margins.

One of the design priorities was to ensure sufficient transverse permeability for the road by incorporating three new walkways and connecting the paths to the existing bus stops, whose design would be adapted in line with current standards with regard to the space required for bays and shelters to protect users.

The plan also takes into account the lighting of the paths and bus shelters, in order to enhance users’ comfort and safety.

Environmental and landscape restoration

Plan of the landscape integration measures for the section of road between the AC-11 and the AC-14.

One of the project’s central aims is to increase the humanisation of this particular section of Avenida Alfonso Molina by improving the transit process for pedestrians and cyclists in their designated zones, thereby enhancing their safety and transit experience. To achieve this, we have physically, visually and acoustically separated the vehicular traffic from the new path and garden areas, in order to provide residents and passers-by with an environment that is more congenial and attractive.

With regard to landscape integration, we have identified 12 zones on the right-hand margin and nine on the left-hand margin where work will be carried out. The selection of species to plant in the garden requires a prior analysis of climatic conditions, the aesthetic and design approach that is to be followed (factors such as colour, leaf fall, texture, appearance, etc.), shade requirements, and references from other areas on Avenida Alfonso Molina where gardens have already been planted, as well as an analysis of the requirements specified by A Coruña Council with regard to:

• Specific requirements of the species chosen.
• Resistance to climatic conditions: water requirements, exposure to sunlight, wind resistance.
• Resistance to environmental conditions: urban pollution, suitable geographical location and altitude.
• Ecological and physiological characteristics: soil properties, texture, moisture, growth rate and longevity, transplanting period and level of difficulty, disease and pest resistance.
• Landscape characteristics and other factors of interest owing to their functional utility: suitability regarding the combination of species; criteria related to colour and seasonal variation; suitability for creating or improving the acoustic conditions of the urban environment; suitability as providers of shade; considerations regarding the production of fruit and seeds and interference in paved areas.

As the area is highly anthropised, the project is not expected to have any significant impact on the existing fauna (wood pigeons, swallows, blackbirds, sparrows and mice).

Likewise, the existing historical and artistic heritage has been respected and none of the current architectural elements (hórreos –traditional raised granaries–, the Seat building, the Coca-Cola factory and the church of San Vicenzo de Elviña) will be directly affected by the project.

The passage of time had damaged the structure of the large canopy roof of the San Cristóbal railway station in A Coruña. For its refurbishment, Adif commissioned Ineco to draft the project. Before the works began, a study was carried out on the condition of its columns.

Based on the data obtained, a design solution and final report were produced to address the detected issues and provide alternatives for action. The work took 12 months and was completed in May 2018. The canopy roof is 100 m long, 33 m wide and 16 m high and covers the entire central hall of the station, an area of 3,300 square metres, which houses six tracks and four platforms (two lateral and two central).

It consists of a large-span metal structure, with 11 segmental arches (broader than the classic rounded arch), at a height of 16 metres on hot-riveted supports (typical of the industrial buildings of the late 19th and early 20th centuries). Beyond the large canopy roof, the platforms have additional protection that extends for a further 160 metres.

As a result of the renovation works, passengers can now enjoy new lighting after the removal of the last fibre-cement (uralite) features installed in the 1980s, which partially blocked the natural light. This, together with the repainting of the metal structure in light blue –replacing the previous red rust colour– have made the building brighter.

In addition to the aesthetic improvements, the project also involved a comprehensive renovation of the entire structure: the roof support straps and hooks were replaced with fireproof and anti-corrosion treated versions, and a new rainwater collection and discharge system, including drainpipes and gutters, was installed to ensure the watertightness of the roof. All rusted metal parts, such as profiles, bolts, joints, etc., were renovated, as was the paintwork.

76 years of history

The A Coruña railway station, which opened in 1943, is located in the city centre very close to the main thoroughfare, Avenida del Alcalde Alfonso Molina. It was designed in an austere neo-Romanesque style by the engineer and architect Antonio Gascué Echeverría, who chose granite, steel and glass as materials. It is an L-shaped terminal, with a façade of uncut granite ashlars with openings all of the way up and a corner tower that houses the clock. The passenger building is grade II listed, meaning that features such as the façade, sidewalls, interior yards, basic structural and typological elements and layout of spaces had to be preserved in their entirety.

Although construction was completed in 1935, it did not open until 14 April 1943 because of the Spanish Civil War and difficulties in building some sections of the railway.

In the 1980s, the central section of the original fibre-cement canopy roof was replaced with other material to provide greater light to the tracks. In the 2000s, the possibility of integrating all modes of transport –rail, buses, taxis and light rail, together with other amenities– on the same site began to be studied.

With more than three million travellers in 2015, according to data from the Ministry of Public Works, passengers have given the ‘thumbs up’ to the Atlantic Axis, a railway infrastructure designed for speeds of up to 250 km/h. The renovation, electrification and duplication of existing routes in addition to the construction of new bypasses and several viaducts, bridges and tunnels have made it possible to transition from the old, non-electrified single tracks to high-performance rail infrastructure: greater speeds, capacity, safety, frequency and comfort for passengers who save up to 58% in travel time. In addition to making renovations to the rolling stock, Renfe has also maintained fares and reorganised rail services which are now divided into “express” and “local” services to cover direct routes between large cities as well as between the urban centres near these cities.

Ineco collaborated in the execution of these projects which have revitalised railway transport in Galicia. According to data from the Railway Observatory of the Ministry of Public Works, the A Coruña-Santiago route is one of the top five regional rail lines for traffic in all of Spain. The Businessmen’s Association of Galicia (Círculo de Empresarios de Galicia) considers that the growth in traffic along this route –a growth of more than 90% between 2008 and 2013– is “a fact that must be directly attributed to the improvement in infrastructure and the implementation of a high-performance rail line on this route of the Atlantic Axis”.

Ineco has worked in construction & environmental management & monitoring, project drafting, inspections & structural testing

In April 2015 the Santiago de Compostela-Vigo section was inaugurated –the third of the three sections that make up the majority of this route which represents a milestone in the modernisation of the Galician railway. The territory of this region is characterised by a great dispersion of populated areas: few big cities –concentrated in costal areas–, many small, isolated areas –especially inland– and very rugged terrain. In addition to these characteristics we can also mention the natural geographical barriers that separate Galicia from the Meseta –barriers that have historically stood in the way of constructing land transport infrastructures, both road and rail.

A far-reaching project

The Axis, spanning 155 kilometres, runs along Galicia’s Atlantic Coast and connects the main areas of industrial and economic activity as well as universities, areas which fuel the demand for transport. The pre-study phase is already underway for the connections A Coruña-Ferrol (63.2 km) to the north of the Axis, in addition to Vigo-Border of Portugal (22.1 km) in the far south of Galicia. The route also connects Santiago with Ourense in the east where this section links up with the high-speed access route to Madrid which is currently under construction.

Initial work on the transformation of existing infrastructure into a modern, high-performance, rapid railway corridor began in 2002. Work was carried out in phases and consisted in installing, along the entire route, a double track with multi-purpose sleepers that will later allow for the change from the Iberian gauge to the standard gauge. The line has also been electrified to 25 kV at 50 Hz, and bypasses have been constructed which have shortened the route by almost 22 kilometres. New sections of the line, owing to the land’s rugged terrain, required several structures: 37 tunnels –totalling a distance of more than 60 kilometres– and 32 viaducts that span a total of 14.9 kilometres. The majority of these structures are located along the section between Santiago and Vigo. This was the most complex part of the route to construct and was the last to begin operating, following both A Coruña-Santiago in 2009 and the Santiago-Ourense connection in December 2011.

In addition to the work concerning electrification, platforms and route corrections (bypasses), adapting the line to new, high speeds also required the remodelling of stations at A Coruña, Santiago de Compostela, Pontevedra, Uxes, Villagarcía de Arousa and Arcade-Apeadero, as well as the construction of new stations: Cerceda-Meirama, Ordes, Padrón-Barbanza, Redondela High Speed and Vigo-Urzáiz, as well as the “temporary” Vigo-Guixar station.

Ineco on the Atlantic Axis

Throughout these years, Ineco has offered their services to the Ministry of Public Works, Renfe and Adif in these highly technical and complex activities, just as they did for the rest of the rail network. Ineco was thus responsible for carrying out tasks regarding the management, coordination and surveillance of construction work, the environmental management of different sections along the whole of the Axis, and the drafting of architectural plans (stations) and railway installations (signalling, safety, telecommunications, etc.).The company also conducted a number of studies in addition to inspections and structural load tests, some as exceptional as that of the Ulla viaduct (see IT54)

Ineco furthermore provided assistance in the management and coordination of tunnel construction work, such as the Vigo access tunnel measuring 8,266 metres long which was carried out using tunnelling machinery, and in the installation of safety systems: electrical installations, ventilation, fire protection systems, etc..

Also worth mentioning in relation to architectural work is the drafting of the construction project for the Vigo-Guixar station which, starting in 2011, has operated as the sole station following demolition of the old building while the new terminal was constructed (in the same location). The Guixar station is a two-storey passenger building boasting 1,000 square metres of space, three platforms measuring 285, 165 and 100 metres long for long-distance and regional rail trains, parking, and bus and taxi stops. When the new Vigo-Urzáiz station began operating in 2015, the Ministry of Public Works decided to keep the Guixar station open to freight transport as well as to local trains.

Ineco also carried out a project, completed in 2010, to standardise architectural elements such as marquees, enclosure gates, decorative elements and locks at nine stations: Redondela, Pontevedra, Padrón, Ordes, Cerceda, Uxes, Pontevedra-Universidad, Arcade and Vilagarcía de Arousa. New passenger buildings were also designed for the latter two stations.

The 155-km line has reduced the average travel time between A Coruña and Vigo by 58% and is one of the most widely travelled routes Spain

With regard to new sections of the line, Ineco coordinated the construction of the Ordes bypass in the province of A Coruña, a section that, over a span of just 7.2 kilometres, required two tunnels and a handful of viaducts. The Vilagarcía-Padrón bypass located between Santiago and Vigo stands out for its complexity, reaching a length of 26.1 kilometres. The company provided technical assistance throughout the management of construction work as well as during the environmental management, control and surveillance of several subsections. The bypass was one of the corridor’s most complex sections with seven tunnels and a dozen viaducts, including one which crosses the Ulla river (spanning a distance of 16 kilometres) and another that crosses over the Sar river –the longest on the Axis- measuring 2.4 kilometres.

Ineco also played a role during each of the phases of development of another high-performance railway connection: the line which links the Atlantic Axis to Ourense from Santiago (see IT18 and 44). The company was highly involved in all of the stages of development of this 150-kilometre section of the line, from project drafting to drawing up operations and maintenance plans, as well as during the construction phases including construction and environmental management services, technical assistance, surveillance and coordination services, etc. Since it entered into service in December 2011, the Santiago-Ourense corridor has also contributed to improving railway connections with the Meseta by reducing existing conventional service travel time by 50 minutes.

Since last August, more than 20,000 residents of this new construction zone have been able to reach the centre of Madrid in 25 minutes thanks to the new halt, without having to go to the centre of Torrejón de Ardoz. Located in this Madrid municipality of 127,000 inhabitants in the north-east of Madrid, the new station belongs to the C7 commuter line and serves the districts of Soto del Henares, Mancha Amarilla and Zarzuela, a zone near the Hospital of Torrejón and the new Casablanca industrial estate. Ineco has carried out the architectural, structural and installation design, as well as construction management for Adif. It is a modular structure of porticos that eliminates the need for interior pillars (open plan) and can be easily adapted to any type of station. The main building, direction Alcalá de Henares, has a rectangular floor, a foyer with waiting areas, automatic ticket vending machines and six faregates, with the possibility of increasing this number to nine. It also has a space for offices, toilets and utility rooms.

Ineco has carried out the architectural, structural and installation design, as well as construction management for Adif

A modular and extendible design

The halt has two buildings, one for each direction. In the interior, all uses are distributed by independent building volumes (‘building within a building’). The station was designed with a capacity to receive 6,000 passengers a day, although the modular structure facilitates its future expansion.

Golden ratio

The geometry of the buildings is based on the golden ratio of a two-metre square, which forms rectangles of 2.8282 x 2m. When doubled they create a module of 5.6564 x 2m, and from the division of this module come all of the internal distances between porticos and different spaces are created.

A light box

The main building is laid out as a rectangular prism with two façades, which provides a maintenance area between them. While the “skin” tinges the interior-exterior light (‘light box’ effect), the outer layer generates permeability and allows the design to be changed.

Platforms

The platform edges are 1.75 metres from the track centres, with a width of 5 metres and a length of 210 metres, with 6 metre slopes at each end. Thanks to the 80 metres of canopy extending from the buildings, passengers are always sheltered when they access the platforms.

Other stations designed by Ineco

Ineco has extensive experience in drawing up architectural designs, as well as in construction management and technical assistance and the preparation of feasibility studies in different types of stations, both overground and underground.

• In Cercanías (commuter rail) we should highlight, amongst others, projects such as the Miribilla station in Bilbao, built at a depth of 50 metres; the two in the Málaga airport access and a few others in the Valencian town of Alboraya, all of which are also underground, or the modern Cercanías halt of the Manuel-Énova bypass of the high-speed line to Levante.
• With regard to modular stations, in 2009 it developed an innovation project taking a small halt in the north of Madrid, Las Zorreras, as a reference. A similar solution was also planned, the predecessor of that of Soto del Henares, for the Las Margaritas-Universidad station, in Getafe, in the southern zone of Madrid. Abroad, in 2011, eight modern modular stations were designed for the Bogotá Western Corridor in Colombia.
• With regard to the renovation of historical stations, we can highlight the design and construction management of the historic façade of Atocha (2012), that of the full renovation of Aranjuez station (2008) currently underway, or the modernisation works in around twenty Catalan stations (2009).
• As well as architecture projects, we can also highlight other services, such as technical assistance for the work of the new La Sagrera-Meridiana commuter station in Barcelona (2010) or the prior feasibility studies for the Belgrade light rail in Serbia, with 25 stations, 10 of them underground; or for the São Paulo commuter network in Brazil, which included the construction of nine stations and the renovation of 65 others.
• With regard to highspeed stations, Ineco has carried out around twenty projects, both in construction management and in drawing up architectural designs: this is the case for the stations of Puente Genil, Camp and Antequera-Santa Ana (2007), that of Vigo-Guixar or the projects in nine other stations of the Galician Atlantic corridor in 2010 (see article). Ineco has also worked in the construction management to adapt stations in the whole network for high speed: Santa Justa in Seville, Sants in Barcelona, Atocha in Madrid, Toledo, Zaragoza, A Coruña, Santiago and Ourense in Galicia, etc., as well as in that of enlargement of the Atocha railway complex and its new AVE terminal, begun in 2010.