Plaza de la Constitucion’s facelift to begin in October

La Línea’s Plaza de la Constitución is set for a complete refurbishment, with works beginning in mid-October. 

The aim of the project is to totally reshape the setting and function of this public amenity and promote healthy social interaction through the installation of shaded areas, benches leisure facilities. 

One of the more striking changes planned will be the relandscaping of the area, with the wide-open spaces of concrete and tile planted with trees chosen for their adaptation for the climate and their ability to provide respite from the sun.   

New pergolas will be installed to increase the amount of shade available to passers-by, and the children’s play area refurbished with larger and more modern equipment. 

The grassy areas will benefit from an automatic irrigation system and, overall, it is hoped that the changes will help fight the urban heat island effect and offer residents an attractive place to socialise in. 

Under the surface of the square, the project will also address technical issues with the underground car park which have been discovered to suffer from significant defects. 

According to the tender document, the car park has cracks in the structure, water ingress, rebar corrosion and steel reinforcements for which no technical justification can be found in council plans. 

In fact, given the extent of the deterioration within the car park area, the technical report completed before the tender was issued advised against carrying out any work on the surface until these structural repairs had first been completed. 

Thus the tender document also includes the costs for the installation of proper drainage and waterproofing, and repairs to the structure. 

The project will be carried out by the company Eiffage Infraestructuras with more than 5 million euros of investment, 4 million funded by the European Union and the rest by La Línea city council.