From Almirante Reis to Avenida da Liberdade, passing through Santa Apolónia. The drainage works will have implications on our mobility habits, but they are important for the future of the city.

So that storm flood situations - like the one we experienced a short time ago - do not occur, or at least are mitigated, Lisbon will carry out a complex set of works under its General Drainage Plan. For two years, starting in 2023, there will be seven work fronts in the city to build two megalomaniac underground tunnels that will carry water collected in the city to the river, controlling rainwater and reducing the risk of flooding in Lisbon.
The execution of this plan is essential for the future of the city, as we detailed in May. The municipality calls it "the invisible work that prepares Lisbon for the future" because, in fact, that is exactly what it is. Lisbon's General Drainage Plan (PGDL) seeks to prepare the city for climate change, and for the increased likelihood of flooding in the future. The PGDL has been developed over two decades, with the creation of retention basins in various parts of the city, such as in Vale da Ameixoeira or Parque Eduardo VII. The construction of the underground tunnels is the most expensive part of the plan and will result in an investment of more than 132.9 million euros.
The work, to be carried out by the Mota Engil / SPIE Batignolles International consortium, will consist of excavating two drainage tunnels that will carry the rainwater to the river: one between Monsanto and Santa Apolónia (4.6 km) and another between Chelas and Beato (1 km). The construction of these tunnels will be done by a tunneling machinewhose parts arrived in September and are now being assembled in a shipyard in CampolideIt is located in a green space. The tunnel - baptized H2OLi - is about 130 meters long, with an outer diameter of 6.4 meters and a cutting head of 70 tons. This giant machine will drill into the ground to a certain depth and excavate the tunnels there.
The drilling works for the two tunnels of Lisbon's General Drainage Plan should go ahead in early 2023that is, later than originally planned - was expected to start up this year. However, the conclusion of the works is still planned for 2025. The intervention will have an impact on the city due to the constraints it will cause in terms of mobility, including Almirante Reis Avenue/Antero de Quintal Street and in Avenida da Liberdade. But there will still be implications for Rua de Campolidein the Rua de Santa Marta/Rua Barata Salgueiroin Santa Apolóniain Chelas and in the Beato.
What will happen at Almirante Reis?
The intervention at Almirante Reis will imply a cut in a section of the bicycle path at the intersection with Rua Antero de Quintal, between Intendente and Martim Moniz. Bicycles will have to share the lane with other traffic for a few meters. A streetcar line will be deviatedThe 28 days will be interrupted for a maximum of five days.

The work on Almirante Reis was scheduled to start in October, but it is not known if the schedule will be maintained. The conclusion is scheduled for July 2024.

In detail:
- in the first instanceThe first electricity and telecommunications infrastructures will be bypassed during the night, and the work is expected to take 40 days;
- in a second stepCarris will deviate the streetcar 28 tracks, and this step should also take about 40 days. In this phase it will be necessary to interrupt the circulation of the 28 for a maximum of five days;
- thereafterthe detour of traffic, streetcar operations, and the cycle track will begin - bicycles will share the road with other vehicles. Water, electricity, gas, sanitation and telecommunications infrastructure will be diverted. A siding will be placed on the central reservation and sidewalk detour will begin to be prepared - in one section, the pedestrian circulation will be diverted with a temporary overpass, which should not be accessible to people with disabilities. The duration of this third phase is estimated at around 80 days;
- the fourth phase consists of the execution of the work, estimated for the period between March 2023 and July 2024 - a total of 16 months. Access to dwellings, stores and garages, as well as resident parking will be maintained at all times.

What will happen on Avenida da Liberdade?
The drainage work on Avenida da Liberdade will take place in the block below Rua Alexandre Herculano, in different phases. It will restrict circulation on the sidewalks and side streets of Lisbon's most iconic avenue, while buses and bicycles will be allowed to circulate during all phases of the work.


In detail:
- in the first instanceThe road will be closed to traffic on the downhill side (left side going down the avenue) for 18 months (the total duration of the work). Pedestrian circulation will be maintained next to the stores, since all other sidewalk areas will be restricted. Bicycles on the 30+bicycle lane will be able to use the same route. The current downhill side street, in the block between Rua Alexandre Herculano and Rua Barata Salgueiro, will become two-way with the removal of surface parking;

- in the second and third phaseswith a duration of four weeks each, there will be new construction sites that, however, will not bring new changes to the mobility dynamics already implemented in the first phase;
- in the fourth, fifth and sixth phasesDuring the night time only, and for six weeks only, there will be construction work on the central part of the avenue;
- in the seventh and eighth phasesDuring the daytime and for four weeks, it will be necessary to restrict the circulation of cars and buses in the central corridor of the avenue, momentarily reducing from two to one descending lane and from three to two ascending lanes;
- the ninth and tenth phases will bring the drainage work to the other side of the avenue, occupying first part of the sidewalk, leaving the uphill side road free (six weeks). Then, and for 12 weeks, the descending side road will be completely cut off, with pedestrian and cycling circulation maintained next to the available store space.

Work on Avenida da Liberdade is expected to begin in January 2023 and end in July 2024for a total of 18 months. The ninth and tenth phases should take place only between August and December next year. Note that the constraints of the first phase will last for 18 months and will overlap with the implications of the other phases, which will run successively.

What will happen in Santa Apolónia?
Santa Apolónia will also be one of the main work fronts in the execution of the drainage tunnels. The installation of the construction site is scheduled for this month of October and will have a total of four phases, with car, cycling, pedestrian and public transport circulation guaranteed at any time during the work, which will last until March 2025.
- in the first instanceBetween October 2022 and August 2023 (11 months), Rua Museu da Artilharia will be closed, where it will be possible to circulate only on foot, and there will be changes in Avenida Infante Dom Henrique. Cycling traffic will be transferred to the river side, where it will remain throughout the construction. In a second phasebetween September 2023 and November 2023 (two months), the construction site will grow, without, however, significantly altering the mobility dynamics generated by the first phase;


- in the third phaseBetween December 2023 and October 2024 (11 months), the future Santa Apolónia traffic circle will start to be designed with new changes in the size and structure of the construction site. In the fourth phaseBetween November 2024 and March 2025 (four months), there is a further change in the construction site and the definition of future car navigation in that area; cycling traffic will return to its original location.

After the drainage works, Santa Apolónia will gain a new square. The project includes the construction of a traffic circle, the introduction of rails for the extension of the 15 tramway and new green spaces. The new Santa Apolónia square is to be built with the requalification of Avenida Infante Dom Henrique.
You can learn more about the works in Santa Apolónia here.
What will happen elsewhere?
The drainage works will also have an impact on Rua de Campolidein the Rua de Santa Marta/Rua Barata Salgueiroin Chelas and in the Beato. In the documentation below, you can get to know in greater detail what is planned in these areas.