The Madrid City Council approves an additional 33 million for the A-5 underground project, raising the total cost to nearly 333 million. The work is also extended until the end of January 2027.
The Madrid City Council has approved the modification of two contracts for the construction of the A-5 underground project as it passes through the capital, with an additional cost of 33 million euros. According to elDiario.es, the cost of the work now amounts to 332,960,684.37 euros, compared to the 300 million initially planned when the contracts were awarded.
The first modification, approved on October 4, affects the section from Batán to Campamento, executed by FCC and Ferrovial. It entails an additional 16.50 million, VAT included, which is 11.01% above the original offer. The second, approved on Monday, October 26, covers the section from the junction with Avenida de Portugal to Batán, managed by Dragados and Acciona, with an additional 16.55 million (an 11.03% increase).
The Urbanism and Mobility department, responsible for the project, has not detailed what works have caused the expenditure. It only mentions "a modification of the actions related to the affected services" due to "unforeseen and unpredictable circumstances" linked to existing infrastructures. No further explanations have been provided in response to the questions raised.
The work was supposed to finish in the last week of October, but the new contract extends it at least until the end of January 2027. Until now, the council maintained that the work was proceeding as planned. It now claims that the delay will not affect the opening of the tunnel, scheduled for Wednesday, December 23, as announced by the mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, at an informational breakfast.
The project, called the Southwest Greenway, is the largest investment project that Martínez-Almeida has promoted in nearly eight years of his mandate. A park of nearly four kilometres will be built over the tunnel, transforming the Paseo de Extremadura, where there are currently up to seven traffic lanes separating the neighbourhoods of the Latina district. With the latest urbanisation contract, the total cost will approach 390 million euros, and with the projects and other expenses, the final bill will be close to the 400 million initially estimated.
To put the figure in perspective, the 33 million in extra costs is equivalent to the cost of building 205 public housing units by the Municipal Housing and Land Company in the Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles development in Villaverde. The underground project of the M-30, under Gallardón as mayor, remains the most expensive municipal project to date, costing over 3,700 million with a deviation close to 48%.
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