Footbridge - Paseo Del Mar Leisure Centre To Paseo Dique de Levante

[Carl]

Completion of the footbridge not now expected until after summer.

https://www.informacion.es/vega-baja/20 ... 72176.html

Google translate, minus video (behind paywall) and images:

Torrevieja approves an initial cost overrun of 393,800 euros for the Levante dike footbridge project due to the foundation work.

The budget has increased from 2.63 to 3 million euros – almost 15% more, although it is expected to reach 40% – it is 10.5 months behind schedule, and the connection to the leisure center has been delayed until September.

The Torrevieja governing board last week approved a modification to the contract for the first section of the Levante breakwater and the access walkway to the Paseo del Mar leisure center, awarded to Orthem (Hozono Global Group). The contract was originally awarded for €2,630,583 including VAT, and the total cost has now been increased by €393,799.92 including VAT, bringing the total to €3,024,383.21 including VAT.

The cost overrun is due to a change in the foundation system. The report explains that, once construction had begun and new surveys, test pits, and tests had been carried out, a more complex terrain than anticipated was discovered, with port fill, riprap, muddy sands with algae, and compressible layers. According to the technical report, these conditions could cause differential settlement, so a solution using micropiles, pile caps, steel drop panels, elastomeric bearings, and structural joints was chosen.

What are projects for?

The City Council argues that this situation "could not be known precisely" before the bidding process because part of the land was occupied by the construction of the leisure center, although there is an engineering and architecture study contracted by the City Council that should have considered it in its project, supervised by municipal technicians and paid for by the municipality.

The report argues that only when that area was cleared, with the work already underway, could the geotechnical checks be carried out that require modifying the planned solution.

The project is also significantly behind schedule. The contract initially had a duration of 10 months. Two extensions of 5.5 months each were subsequently approved, and the current contract sets a duration of 20.5 months, with completion scheduled for November 25, 2026. In practical terms, the project has been extended from 10 to 20.5 months: 10.5 months longer than the initial deadline.

More cost overruns, later

The document distinguishes between the cost overrun approved now and the one that will have to be applied to the full scope of the modified project. The planned overall modification would raise the contract to €3,677,480 including VAT, which is €1,046,897 more including VAT than the initial contract. However, the City Council is only approving the portion it considers urgent now, €393,799 including VAT, and is leaving the remainder, which would amount to approximately €653,097 including VAT, for later processing. In reality, the entire cost overrun is not being applied to avoid halting the work, as this would require a new bidding process due to such a high percentage increase. The price of the complete modification will represent almost a 40% increase over the awarded contract.

The legislation allows for the provisional continuation of a modified section if certain limits are met and sufficient funds are available. In this case, the City Council maintains that the section proceeding falls within those limits and that halting it would cause harm, as it affects the footbridge's foundation and elements necessary for coordinating the municipal project with the leisure center.

The report adds that a suspension of these units could also affect the opening of the leisure center, since the footbridge and some common infrastructure depend on this municipal project.

The deadlines

On the other hand, the governing team has once again missed another of the deadlines it promised regarding the port area works. The mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón, assured everyone shortly before the leisure center opened that the footbridge would be ready to connect the commercial area with the Levante breakwater this August. While the works have accelerated considerably in recent weeks, that prediction will not be met. It will likely be completed by mid-September. The footbridge will allow pedestrians starting their walk on the access ramp to the leisure center from the Casino to continue their journey along the Levante breakwater to the lighthouse. The first section of the breakwater, which also includes a ramp and an ornamental fountain valued at half a million euros, will not be finished until November.

[Bee]

It will be finished when it's finished. What's the rush. It has taken 100yrs to get it this far. Another year won't make much difference.
Bee