Decades-long campaign sees breakthrough

"Gran Via covered," reads a banner at the entrance to the Ildefons Cerdà Granvia Sud neighbourhood association in l'Hospitalet de Llobregat. For years, replicas have hung on apartment blocks along the busy C-31 highway, symbolising residents' frustration with constant road noise. Paco del Río, president of the 50-year-old association, calls it their most important local demand. Now, after more than two decades of campaigning, progress is underway. The Generalitat de Catalunya has issued a public tender for a technical assistance contract to draft the construction project for a semi-cover aimed at reducing noise pollution on the C-31.

Residents like Carlos Albentosa, who lives on the sixth floor of a building overlooking the Granvia, describe life as unbearable during peak hours. "It's impossible to be on the balcony, and at bedtime, you have to close the windows," he said. "When I have visitors, they ask me: how can you live like this?" Recent decibel measurements commissioned by the Generalitat and carried out by Axioma confirm the severity. Two apartment blocks recorded daytime levels of 72 and 70 decibels, and nighttime levels of 67 and 64, well above the World Health Organization’s recommended limits of 53 decibels during the day and 45 at night. Paco del Río estimates around 150 families are affected.

We've been fighting since 1998.

Project details and timeline

The contract, managed by the public agency Infraestructures.cat, is valued at €502,912. Final construction costs are estimated at approximately €10 million. The proposed solution must be non-passable, require no forced ventilation, and remain compatible with existing road signage. The work will cover about 250 metres near kilometre point 199+000 of the C-31, a section left uncovered during earlier developments due to the presence of a water collector, which complicates engineering and raises costs. Proposals for the technical assistance contract are due by 7 September.

Historical context and political momentum

The community’s push dates back to 1998, when the association challenged an incomplete plan and took legal action. A key agreement signed with the City Council stated that if no solution began before 2002, the council would execute the covering by April 2003, seeking co-financing from other bodies. Though delayed, that document helped revive the cause years later. With support from the Síndica de Greuges (Ombudsman) of l'Hospitalet and political backing from Mayor David Quirós, who previously served as district councillor, the Generalitat has now taken ownership of the effort. While this semi-cover addresses a critical stretch, broader plans for the area include the full burial of 1,000 metres of the C-31 between Rambla Marina and the Llobregat river, under a separate €114.83 million project approved by the Department of Territory and Sustainability and led by the Consorci per la Reforma de la Granvia.

Primary sources: govern.cat. Reported by lavanguardia.com, Jose Polo, La Vanguardia Barcelona.