Palma's Historic Old Town Bridge at Baluard del Príncep to be Completed in 2025

Closing the last gaps: Construction project at Baluard del Príncep enters the final stretch

Five years, a few plan changes and the usual mix of patience and impatience later: The construction site at Baluard del Príncep in Palma's Old Town is finally making headlines that you can read with a smile. The Spanish Ministry of Housing has approved 1.6 million euros to complete the last seven percent of the works. The remaining contracts are to be tendered later this year – that is the city administration's hope.

What remains

The works are officially reported as about 93 percent complete. What remains may seem like small stuff, but it is important: The city moat must be urbanized, the connection works to the sewer must be completed, and above all the bridge including the steps that connect Plaza de la Porta del Camp with the moat must be built. Also open is the enclosure made of Marés stone to Avenida Gabriel Alomar and the last elements on the square itself.

Reception building and trees

In the second phase the works on the visitor reception are upcoming: exterior cladding, lighting, water collection system, the ceiling of the entrance portal and handrails of the exterior ramps. Sliding doors, interior fitting and the fixed furniture for the reception will also be installed. And yes, trees will be planted in front of the building – small oases with irrigation so that the palms and plane trees do not have to be watered heavily when summer returns.

If you pass by the construction site in the morning, you sometimes hear the espresso-machine noise of the workers at 9 a.m. Such small details remind that it is people, not just static plans, that shape this corner of the city.

Why it dragged on

The renovation goes back a long way: Since 2008 the central government has already invested more than ten million euros in the preservation of the wall. In 2020 there was an interruption when the then construction company went bankrupt. Since then the project has repeatedly faced small setbacks. The current financial injection is intended to ensure that months do not pass again before new work begins.

State Secretary David Lucas and Palma's mayor Jaime Martínez are supposed to sign an action protocol for completion in the coming days. The aim is clear: tendering before the end of the year, award and completion as soon as possible afterward. Will it work? There are always skeptics, but at least there is movement in the matter.

More than stone and mortar

Palma's city wall is not just a piece of concrete – its roots go back to the 10th century. Moorish remains, later reinforcements, scars of history: those strolling through the Old Town can feel it. For residents and visitors, the wall is a piece of identity. When the bridge is finished, it will connect not only two banks but also the past and the present.

Whether on the new bridge you will stop more often, enjoy the view of the Plaza, or simply take the shortest route — we will see. For now there remains a cautious sense of relief: a historic eye-catcher moves closer to completion.