Viaducts for Barcelona Metro Lines 9 and 10

Project Description

Metro Line 10 in Barcelona is one of the two branches of the 47.8 km long Line 9. The south branch connects the “Zona Franca” – the intermodal logistics platform of the Port of Barcelona – to Line 9. This branch includes a 2.2 km long elevated guideway along the median of Street A. This segment includes three elevated stations and access to the maintenance facilities. The first of these stations was opened to trains in 2020. Upon completion, Line 9 will be the longest automated metro line in Europe.

The deck of the two parallel viaducts has been designed as a succession of 24 m long simply supported spans to minimize interferences with existing utilities and the heavy road traffic from the Port of Barcelona and nearby industrial areas. It consists of prestressed concrete U girders supported on top of T piers. The piers are, for the most part, supported on deep foundations, consisting of drilled concrete piles, which extend to a depth of up to 20 m.

Design/Construction Approach

The design of the viaducts resulted from a combination of economic factors and the aesthetic criteria defined by the municipality. Since the construction site was on a street with heavy traffic close to the Port of Barcelona and limited access points, the design concept and construction staging were carefully planned to minimize the impact on road traffic and access to nearby businesses.