The works on the Vila i Vilà street collector, in the vicinity of Paral·lel, have accumulated more than a year and a half of delay and will no longer finish in July 2025, as initially planned. The new forecast places the end of the action between December 2026 and January 2027, after a chain of incidents that has altered the schedule since the start of the works in November 2023.
The intervention was launched to reduce the risk of floods in this area of Poble Sec, but unforeseen events in the work have forced the extension of deadlines. Among the factors that explain the delay are the phreatic works on Fontrodona street, the breakage of the water collection system on Font street, and an especially rainy year.
Partial recovery of sidewalks and phased reopenings
While the bulk of the project moves forward, in several sections of Vila i Vilà, sidewalks and pedestrian space are already being recovered. Paving and urbanization works have also begun at different points of the street, with a staggered reopening of traffic and terraces.
The first section, between Palaudàries and Mata, is scheduled for completion in April. Palaudàries street is already open to traffic and Mata street reopened on March 26. In parallel, the section between Mata and Cabanes continues under construction and is expected to be finished in May. Cabanes street, for its part, will reopen to traffic on April 17.
In these first areas, the terraces will be able to return between April and May. Later on, between Cabanes and Font Street, the paving works continue and the forecast is that this section will be finished in June.
The final stretches will be extended until 2027
Municipal planning concentrates in summer an important part of the pending works. Between Font street and Nou de la Rambla, the works are scheduled for July and August. At this point, not only will work be done on the surface, but the collector will also be repaired. The terraces in that section will be able to be recovered between August and September.
The last section, between Nou de la Rambla and Fontrodona, will start in August and will extend until the end of 2026 or early 2027. The return of the terraces in this part of Vila i Vilà will be done progressively between September and December 2026.
Complaints from neighbors and businesses regarding accessibility and commercial impact
The partial recovery of the pedestrian space has been received with relief, although among neighbors and merchants the feeling of weariness persists after many months of disruptions. Julio, a merchant from a greengrocer on the street, summarizes the mood of part of the area.
"Visually it gives us a breather, but this won't be fixed in two weeks. We have been many months under construction with a very narrow passage and it will be complicated to get back to the previous pace" - Julio, merchant
Accessibility has been one of the main complaints during the work. Antònia, a resident of Vila i Vilà, explains that the opening of part of the sidewalk still does not solve all the difficulties to enter and exit some properties.
"Now they are opening the sidewalk for us, but to leave the building entrance we are still the same, they could also widen this section" - Antònia, neighbor
The same neighbor also remembers the passage limitations that have been experienced for months.
"We had to move aside if we crossed paths with another neighbor" - Antònia, neighbor
Antònia also points to the economic effect that the work has had on some establishments.
"The tobacconist has moved because it had no sales here" - Antònia, neighbor
The mobility difficulties have especially affected clients with more problems moving around. Marga, a street hairdresser, relates that access to the business became very complicated for part of the clientele.
"It's elderly people, some with wheelchairs and others with carts, and it was almost impossible to pass along the sidewalk and enter the hair salon" - Marga, hairdresser
Rafael, pharmacist, describes a street marked by unevenness, fences, and constant detours.
"There are many level changes, many fences and they have to go a long way around" - Rafael, pharmacist
The businesses demand concretion on the aid
The lack of terraces and the visual impact of the work have also weighed on the activity of bars and restaurants. Ramona, a worker at a bar in Vila i Vilà, maintains that the loss of visibility has reduced the influx.
"Without seeing the tables, people don't know if we are open or closed. Also, between the dust and the noise, people are not comfortable" - Ramona, a bar worker
The same worker adds another concern linked to the daily life of the street, with complaints about the lighting and about the perception of insecurity in the surroundings.
"There is a lack of lighting on the street and, furthermore, now the sale and consumption of drugs that used to be in the Gardens of the Three Chimneys has moved here, there is a great feeling of insecurity. Homeless people have also moved here and coexistence problems are generated" - Ramona, bar worker
The merchants of Vila i Vilà are still awaiting more details about the shock plan for the affected businesses, an initiative included in the item of the government measure Millorem el Paral·lel. For now, the specific content of these aids is still not being clearly communicated to the commercial fabric of the street.
Julio, one of the affected merchants, assures that for now they have only received partial information about these compensations and suggests that the City Council promote an expert appraisal that compares the activity of 2023 with that registered during the months of works to quantify the damage and adjust the aid to the real drop in income. With the calendar already extended until 2027, the main concern in Vila i Vilà now is to sustain activity during the final stretch of a work that will still leave months of disruptions.