Benidorm will carry out a complete renovation of London Street after detecting serious deficiencies in the subsoil

Benidorm City Council has decided to undertake a complete renovation of Londres Street after detecting deficiencies in the subsoil during the installation of the stormwater drainage network. This project is linked to the ongoing renovation of hydraulic infrastructure, which is also taking place on Montecarlo Street. The work on Londres Street will affect the section between Estocolmo and Montecarlo Streets.

These deficiencies in the subsoil were discovered this week after it was found that the ground was poorly compacted. In fact, large sections of the road surface were breaking away while the machinery was excavating to lay the new pipes. According to José Ramón González de Zárate, Councillor for the Water Cycle, who visited the area to assess the situation, "detecting these deficiencies during this project may have prevented a future accident involving a heavy vehicle or after heavy rains."

London Street has been closed to traffic in the aforementioned section since April 29th. The initial plan was to install a storm drain with the corresponding catch basins. However, the project will now be completed with the renovation of the sewer system, drinking water lines, and other underground utilities "to leave the street in perfect condition and with the ground completely compacted."

Naturally, this unforeseen circumstance will entail "a delay in the execution schedule" and an additional cost "that has not yet been assessed because we are waiting for the project management team's report," stated González de Zárate, who emphasised that "no work has been done here for 40 or 50 years." The councilman added that a study is underway for the section of the street between Stockholm and Montecarlo "because a complete renovation of the street will be necessary."

The councillor also explained that the pace of work at this location "is slower because as we progressed, the trench and sidewalks kept collapsing." In any case, he insisted that these circumstances are "unforeseen events that can happen," but emphasised that "the important thing is that it was detected during the construction because a landslide could have occurred after a heavy vehicle passed over it or during heavy rainfall."

Regarding the street, González de Zárate indicated that "London Street will likely have to be closed during the summer" due to this incident. Still, conversely, Montecarlo Avenue will open with a portion of the sidewalks already completed.

The project to renovate the drinking water and sanitation infrastructure on Montecarlo Avenue was awarded for €1,355,814.06 and is financed entirely by the Municipal Water Service Renewal Funds.

In addition to the drinking water and sewage pipes, the stormwater drainage system, street lighting, paving, vertical and horizontal signage, landscaping and trees will also be renewed, and a reclaimed water network will be installed. However, as González de Zárate pointed out, “we have to wait for the project management report to determine whether a modification to the existing contract or a new one is necessary to complete the entire project on Londres Street.”