The municipal website of Bilbao announced today that the City Council is planning on constructing two more street elevators in the district of Uribarri, known for its hilly terrain. This aims to provide more universal accessibility for residents of the area. Several ramps will also be constructed, with the overall works expected to last 9 months for a cost of 1 735 000 euros.
The elevators will be installed in the eastern part of the district
The area in question is located on the slopes of Mount Artxanda where differences in altitude between higher and lower street parts can reach 35 metres. More specifically it concerns the following streets: Bakio, Gorliz, Santurtzi, Plentzia, Tutulu and Vía Vieja de Lezama.
Apart from the elevators and ramps, some of the streets will be adapted to be shared between pedestrians and vehicles which will open direct access from Gorliz Street to Santurtzi Street.
The first of the lifting devices (5-metres height) will be constructed so as to connect Gorliz and Plentzia Streets, the latter of which reaches 21% inclination at some points. The second elevator will connect Plentzia and Vía Vieja de Lezama – that one will be 6 metres tall and will be equipped with a walkway 8 metres long providing access to it.
Both of the elevators’ cabins will be able to carry 13 people each.
Additionally, 5 ramps are slated to be constructed in order to facilitate mobility along the steep streets of the district. They will be located as follows: 15 San Valentín de Berriotxoa Street, 9 Bakio Street, the corner of Plentzia and Gorliz Streets, 20 Tutulu Street and 15 Gorliz Street.
The shared pedestrian-vehicle traffic zones (with priority for pedestrians) will be located at 18 Tutulu Street and the intersection of Gorliz and Santurtzi Streets.
Source: TheMayor.EU
