Malaga finalises preliminary project for 'plaza-bridges' in city with 300m euro price tag

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Specialised geotechnical studies are under way and talks are being held with the regional government about the safety requirements of the riverbed in the event of flooding

Chus Heredia

Wednesday, 17 December 2025, 16:59

The credibility of the 'plaza-bridges' and the integration of the Guadalmedina riverbed in Malaga city centre have been weighed down by decades of promises and infographics, but significant progress has been made in recent months. The most notable advance is the work carried out to assess and outline the hydrological behaviour of the river and the safety of the riverbed under any circumstances.

The measures regulating the safety of the El Limonero dam have been essential in this task. The maximum filling limit has been set at 14 million cubic metres, instead of the 21 established by the previous threshold. At the same time, simulations, projections and calculations have been carried out, the contributions of the tributary streams have been fine-tuned and factors such as water transport have been taken into account.

Malaga city council is currently finalising the preliminary project for the Guadalmedina 'plaza-bridges'. The urban planning and the environmental departments collaborate in this task. On Monday, 15 December, machinery could be seen starting a geotechnical study programme near the La Goleta bridge.

14

million cubic metres is the maximum safe level of the El Limonero reservoir, which would only be exceeded in the event of floods

300

million euros could be the total cost of the work in the first two phases

The current work is part of the second phase of the preliminary project, municipal sources told SUR. It is a matter of advancing the work. "In the second phase, which will last three months, the design will be developed [...] to reach the necessary level of detail on a preliminary project scale, including the geometric and material definition of the solution, the pre-dimensioning of the structures, an estimated budget and a timeline of the work. At the same time, [...] steps are being taken with the regional government of Andalucía to reach a consensus on the design with the requirements of the public water management service and a proposal for a geotechnical campaign is prepared to be carried out in parallel with the drafting of the preliminary project, which will serve as a basis for the drafting of the construction project," the city council said.

76,000

square metres of green areas have been drawn up in the preliminary project

The design of the urban integration of the Guadalmedina riverbed was announced in mid-August. Since then, Estyeco, the contracted consultancy, has been fine-tuning the details, without touching the slopes of the river, the riverbed or the hydraulic calculations. The budget for the preliminary project exceeds 300,000 euros.

The new design plans 76,000 square metres of green space (600 trees in total). This is quite a lot, considering that the entire area of the project is 121,000 square metres.

The preliminary design eliminates the large central 'plaza-bridge', which, in practice, was almost an embankment. Instead of three of these structures there will be five, lighter, X-shaped structures. The aim is to guarantee permeability between the two banks of the river by lowering the side walls, which act as a barrier. In addition, a green corridor will be created along the entire central section with medium-sized trees.

300,000

euros is the cost of the preliminary project, currently finalised

The three new 'plaza-bridges' suspended over the river will be San Rafael (between Carretería and Calle Trinidad), with a surface area of 3,200 square metres and a width of 60. The next one, San Quintín, will cover 2,600 square metres and a width of 50, and La Regente, 4,500 and 7, respectively. The Armiñán and Aurora bridges are to be built after these three.

Deadlines and phases

It is difficult to set deadlines for a project of this nature. In principle, the most optimistic starting date would be 2027, given that the drafting of the construction projects for the first two phases alone would take 20 months. The two phases could be carried out concurrently. These would be Perchel-Aurora and Aurora-Armiñán. The project covers more than 120,000 square metres and the budget rises to almost 300 million euros. Construction on these two phases could take around 40 months. The project has been divided into five phases.

Other actions

According to Esteyco's proposal, the bridges will be X-shaped, connecting both banks of the river through diagonal paths, creating living spaces and play areas.

All these actions will be complemented with interventions in the surrounding streets - Avenida de Fátima and Pasillo de Santo Domingo on the right bank; and Avenida de la Rosaleda and Pasillo de Santa Isabel on the left bank. Paving and the planting of trees, as well as recreational spaces, are also included so that both Avenida de la Rosaleda and Pasillo de Santa Isabel, the 'plaza-bridges' and the river form a single space for public use and a large green corridor.