Adif proposes for the urban integration of the Alfafar and Sedaví municipalities the construction of an underpass, which will make possible the safe crossing of citizens under the railway and the development of an accessible and sustainable urban space in the environment, as stated in a statement.
The solution, presented today to the mayors of both municipalities in a meeting in which the mayor of Benetusser was also present, responds to the agreement reached between the parties in a protocol that contemplated the development of studies for the elimination of the level crossing. , which divides the urban centers of both locations, and the conditioning of the road system in its area of ??influence for the redistribution of road traffic.
Underpasses constitute an effective and safe solution for the mobility of citizens and vehicles in urban environments and areas with a high concentration of pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
Specifically, in this case, it would ensure the crossing of pedestrians, scooters, bicycles and motorcycles – which represent 40% of the mobility in the area – in conditions of total safety. Likewise, acoustic warnings would be eliminated, both from the trains and from the level crossing protection facilities.
The proposal would contribute to transforming the area, creating a new pedestrian axis that would guarantee the permeability of public space and the railway and recover spaces for neighbors, with the creation of an urban park. Furthermore, it would not modify the service levels of the surrounding roads, neither the municipal nor the regional ones.
The project for this solution – if it is approved by the City Councils shortly – would be developed before the end of the year, with the aim of launching the tender for its construction in the first quarter of 2025. To advance its development and execution, The parties would work on signing an agreement to eliminate the level crossing. The construction of the underpass – the most short-term response to make safe the mobility of citizens in the environment – does not condition future decisions on the burying of the railway as it passes through the municipalities.
The proposal presented by Adif to the mayors has several alternatives for analysis and consists of the construction of a pedestrian underpass in the area of ??the current level crossing, which would eliminate the direct crossing on the surface in the short term; as well as the diversion of road traffic through the current overpass, located 380 m towards Valencia.
The underpass would have a length of 12 m, a width of 4.8 m and a height of 3 m and would have slopes of less than 6% to reinforce its accessibility. Likewise, it is raised with a gender perspective. The infrastructure would be equipped with flights of stairs and ramps on both sides of the railway. The cladding system would be a ventilated façade and the flooring would be bubbled artificial stone, including drainage equipment.
Urban integration would materialize with new pavements in the areas closest to the accesses to the underpass, flower beds and tree pits for planting vegetation, urban furniture (benches, pergolas, railings, etc.), horizontal signage, layout turns with a minimum radius of 3 m suitable for bicycle use, garden terraces and walls with a maximum height of 1 m, with revegetated slopes and lighting staffs.
As complementary actions, it is planned to widen the road with two directions of traffic on Manuel Iranzo Street, to the north of which a surface parking lot for 53 spaces would be prepared. In the Gómez Ferrer park, perimeter permeability on the south and east faces, the placement of terraces with vegetation on the north side, the relocation of the children’s area, the direct connection with the new passage and the creation of a parking lot would be considered. surface for 68 seats.
The protocol signed by the parties in August 2023 established that the proposed solution and the traffic diversion motivated by the closure of the level crossing would be justified by a study of its impact on the degrees of saturation of the rest of the roads in the municipality.
After analyzing the traffic and mobility data around the level crossing obtained in campaigns carried out at the end of last year, it is concluded that the operation of the road will not worsen with the elimination of the level crossing nor will it generate a higher degree of saturation, and may even improve. the current situation with the application of small actions at two intersections in the area.
The results obtained from the intensity/capacity ratios on urban roads, once the level crossing has been eliminated, remain at the same adequate levels. In all cases, the intensity/capacity ratios are less than 50% in the two peak hours, as is currently the case, with the majority of the road with values ??between 20%-30%.
