Work begins on southeast connector

The Madrid City Council has launched construction on the first segment of the Gran Vía del Sureste, a planned 13.7-kilometre green corridor designed to connect new urban developments across the southeastern periphery of the capital. Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida visited the construction area on Tuesday alongside Vice Mayor Inma Sanz, Delegate for Works and Equipment Paloma García Romero, Villa de Vallecas councillor Carlos González Pereira, and Vicálvaro councillor Ángel Ramos. Municipal leaders met with representatives of local compensation boards representing the emerging eastern districts. The initial project covers a 560-metre stretch in Ensanche de Vallecas located between Avenida de las Suertes and the roundabout beside the A-3 highway. City officials compared the scale and structural role of the future artery to Paseo de la Castellana in central Madrid.

“What this will also provide is the possibility of multiplying public transport options that unite all these developments with the city of Madrid.”

Redesigning an urban highway

The project reconfigures a large dirt tract that remained unpaved and disused for nearly two decades after initial housing developments emerged. Original planning frameworks envisioned the corridor as a high-capacity roadway carrying three vehicular lanes in each direction. Municipal planners revised the scheme into an urban connector aimed at reducing car dependency while integrating biodiversity and public recreation. The updated design reserves an exclusive lane in each direction for a future Bus Rapid Transit system spanning the southeast, introduced after the Community of Madrid ruled out extending the Metro network to these areas. General vehicular traffic will be reordered around the dedicated bus corridors and pedestrian zones.

Transit corridors and public space

The Ensanche de Vallecas segment will urbanize more than 21,000 square metres of public space, anchored by a central boulevard measuring 37.6 metres in width. Plans introduce segregated bicycle lanes along both outer edges of the avenue, alongside refurbished pedestrian sidewalks and shaded seating areas. The recreational layout includes children's play parks, outdoor calisthenics zones, and specialized fitness equipment. Urban forestry plans mandate the planting of 875 trees to establish high-density green buffers. In addition, contractors will install drinking fountains, modern street furniture, and a 180-square-metre ornamental fountain equipped with lighting and dynamic water features.

Central boulevard21,000

Ornamental fountain180

Central boulevard

21000 m²

Ornamental fountain

180 m²

Data from the article text

Neighborhood growth and infrastructure timelines

The initial residents arrived in Ensanche de Vallecas in 2006, occupying newly built residential blocks surrounded by unfinished roadways and vast vacant lots. Machinery first entered the site on 29 September 2026, setting up barriers near building number 18 along Avenida de la Gran Vía del Sureste. The full 13.7-kilometre corridor will eventually stitch together six southeastern developments: Valdecarros, Los Berrocales, Los Ahijones, El Cañaveral, Los Cerros, and Ensanche de Vallecas. Municipal schedules set the completion of the current 560-metre Vallecas phase for the spring of 2028, with subsequent sections scheduled to advance in coordination with ongoing housing construction in neighboring districts.