Benidorm puts out to tender the drafting of the redevelopment project for the second phase of the Avenida del Mediterráneo

Benidorm City Council has approved the contract for technical assistance services for drafting the basic and detailed design plans for the redevelopment and infrastructure renovation works of the second phase of Avenida del Mediterráneo and its surrounding area, for an amount close to €400,000. This will allow further progress in the modernisation of one of the city's main thoroughfares. Mayor Toni Pérez detailed this on Monday, after the local Governing Board gave the green light to the contract, which covers the section between Avenida de Europa and Avenida de Castellón and also includes the other adjacent avenues towards Avenida de Madrid – Paseo de Levante – such as Avenida de Murcia, Avenida de Cuenca, Avenida de Mallorca, Avenida de Filipinas, and Avenida de Almería, with an approximate area of ​​intervention of 37,930 square meters.

Pérez stated that “we continue to honour our commitments and keep our word,” adding that the governing team “has worked intensively on the development of this second phase, always adhering to the legal deadlines and timelines” of a project of this magnitude, whose execution will have a budget of nearly 19 million euros.

Thus, the contract being put out to tender covers the provision of technical assistance for drafting the basic and detailed design plans, which will be processed through an ordinary, open procedure, with a base bid price of 399,300 euros including VAT, as detailed by the mayor.

The company awarded the contract will have three requirements to fulfil upon signing the contract. First, it will prepare a feasibility study for the construction of an underground parking garage on Avenida del Mediterráneo, in the section between Avenida de Europa and Avenida de Castellón, approximately 1,200 meters long, for which it will have 30 days. Specifically, as the mayor explained, the document will have to analyse the demand and need; determine the technical feasibility, for which soil tests and geotechnical studies have already been carried out, and the economic and financial feasibility; and study the possible legal and management framework.

Secondly, the contractor must draft the basic project for the redevelopment and infrastructure renovation works on Avenida del Mediterráneo and adjacent streets in this Phase II, which must be submitted within 60 days of signing the contract. The final step will be drafting the detailed construction project, which includes a redevelopment and remodelling project with a base bid budget of approximately €18,965,000, allowing for an additional 10% depending on the final construction solutions adopted.

Among the evaluable criteria, as stated in the contract, are the integration of the project into the urban fabric; The proper coexistence of diverse activities, such as pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular traffic, as well as the reservation of waiting areas for public transport, rest, leisure, or play; the clarity and ease of use and enjoyment of the space, with special emphasis on improving accessibility at all levels, so that it is easily understood and used by people with different abilities; as well as the analysis of aesthetic issues arising from the nature and urban significance of this space, combining all the elements that make up the design, such as surface treatments, lighting, street furniture, signage, landscaping, and design.

The implementation of measures aimed at improving safety and traffic protection and environmental improvement will also be taken into account, as well as the selection of materials and finishes, among other things. Toni Pérez recalled that the Benidorm City Council began the comprehensive renovation of the Avenida del Mediterráneo in 2018, with the awarding of a first phase between Calle Pont and Avenida de Europa, as well as its adjacent areas, and that, despite the pandemic, it was completely finished in 2022 and involved an investment of more than 12 million euros.
 

No bids received for the renovation of Manizales Square

During the press conference to announce the tender for this second phase of the Avenida del Mediterráneo project, the mayor also indicated that the Local Governing Board has declared the tender process for the urbanization works of Plaza de Manizales and the repair of water leaks detected in its basement void, and has initiated a new process.

Pérez explained that this tender “received no offers” from companies interested in carrying out the project, which had a budget of €510,000, and noted that municipal technicians are already working on revising the project to provide it with a larger budget: “We are in a time when prices in the construction sector change practically every week, and given the lack of price controls from the central government, there is no other option but to revise the tender specifications to attract interested companies” to carry out the work.

He also noted that the project is somewhat complex, given its public ownership and the presence of a private underground parking garage. "The plaza is in its current state, but this is no simple project," he said, referring to the leaks and the resulting structural problems. "We can't just focus on the aesthetics; we need to provide a real and lasting solution for this space."