Tunneling the Ring Road: One Billion, Many Questions

Tunneling the Ring Road: One Billion, Many Questions

If you get off at Plaça d'Espanya these days, you hear before you see anyone: the relentless revving of engines, the timbre of a bus announcement, a dog barking. This soundscape shapes parts of Palma — especially where the ring road slices the city into segments. Now a proposal is on the table that aims to make those sounds disappear and give the surface back: tunneling the ring road — cost: up to one billion euros, political majority in the island council, an application to Madrid and sights set on Europe.

Key question

Is the tunnel concept a realistic plan to reconnect neglected neighborhoods — or a financial pipe dream without clear funding and practicable intermediate steps?

Critical analysis

What is certain: the idea does not come out of nowhere. Social-democratic representatives have named tunneling as a means to counteract the urban fragmentation — affected neighborhoods include Nou Llevant, La Soledat, Son Malferit, Son Gotleu and Rafal Vell. The local mobility administration is also sympathetic, citing sums similar to other major projects (the planned rail link to Llucmajor has been mentioned as a reference). And politically the conservative PP in the island council has agreed to ask the central government for an arrangement and to look toward EU funds.

But: a price tag of up to one billion says nothing about concrete construction phases, technical risks or follow-up costs. Tunnel construction does not only consume money during excavation; it also requires elaborate drainage systems, noise and air filtration, maintenance and safety infrastructure. Added to this are traffic shifts during the construction period — months, more likely years — during which commuters, delivery traffic and residents will be affected.

What's missing in the public discourse

First: transparent figures. So far there are no publicly audited cost estimates, no feasibility study, no timetable. Second: alternative solutions are dismissed too quickly. The idea of "tunnel or nothing" overlooks cheaper, local measures like lids, green bridges, noise barriers or targeted coverings at critical junctions. Third: social safeguards. If the neighborhoods are to grow together again, more is needed than asphalt underground — a strategy for housing, local infrastructure, school routes and small businesses is essential.

Everyday scene

In the late afternoon on the Paseo Marítimo you see young parents with strollers, an older woman knitting on a bench, and further back the motorway, which like a scar encircles the city. In Son Gotleu children walk to school over a narrow bridge that could become a bottleneck during a construction project. Such everyday routes say more than any political statement: people need functioning crossings — without years of detours or dangerous crossings.

Concrete proposals

1) Immediate feasibility study: independent experts, public, with multiple scenarios (full tunnel, partial decking, bridges, combinations).
2) Phasing instead of a monolith: cover critical sections first, prioritize junctions with high pedestrian frequency, build in loose stages so the whole city is not blocked for months at a time.
3) Traffic measures BEFORE groundbreaking: expand bus and rail services, park & ride, driving bans for heavy vehicles in the city center to relieve the construction site.
4) Social accompaniment: investments in schools, neighborhood centers and affordable rental spaces in affected districts so that gentrification pressure does not displace local households.
5) Transparent financing mix: Madrid must be on board, EU funds can be involved, private participation possible — but only with clear performance clauses and public oversight.
6) Environmental and water management review: ensure that groundwater, sewage systems and air quality do not suffer in the long term.

Conclusion

The idea of moving the ring road underground promises space for the city, less noise and better connections. Yet for now it remains a framework without a roof: large sums, unclear financing and missing planning documents. Anyone who throws a billion into the discussion owes the city three things: a transparent review, a realistic phased concept and a guarantee that people in the affected neighborhoods will not pay the price. Otherwise the beautiful vision will remain a pretty plan in a council chamber — and the sounds at Plaça d'Espanya will continue to sound as they always have.