Madrid will close the M-30 tunnel towards Badajoz from August 3 to 24 as work continues to bury the urban section of the A-5 and connect it to the existing M-30 tunnel beneath Avenida de Portugal. The Ayuntamiento de Madrid announced the closure as a basic step in the future Paseo Verde del Suroeste, a major urban redevelopment project intended to reconnect neighborhoods divided by the highway since 1968.
Crews will demolish the concrete slab at the current M-30 tunnel exit ramp, excavate to the required depth and build a new slab linking the existing ring-road tunnel with the new Paseo Verde del Suroeste gallery. The slab stayed in place to maintain a temporary traffic diversion; now it will be removed so crews can complete the permanent structure. After demolition, they will rebuild the structure, restore the fill and set up a new temporary diversion to keep traffic moving as construction continues.
Another major phase will see crews install 14 massive beams at night, each 30 meters long and spanning the full width between the north and south abutments. The operation requires the full width of the M-30 tunnel in both directions and will run over four consecutive nights, from August 10 to 13. During that period, vehicles travelling from the M-30 towards the A-5 will be unable to use the tunnel, and the exit at Casa de Campo will close. The same restriction applies to outbound traffic on the M-30 interior towards the A-5.
To ease the disruption for drivers, the city’s Urban Planning, Environment and Mobility Department, led by Borja Carabante, has mapped alternative routes. For longer journeys from Madrid to nearby municipalities, drivers can take the A-42 or Vía Lusitana to reach the M-40, or exit via General Ricardos for Avenida de los Poblados. Vehicles coming from the north of the M-30 are advised to connect via the A-6, which links to the M-40 and then to the A-5 at Cuatro Vientos. Local residents have several detour options: take exit 19A from the M-30 north via Paseo Marqués de Monistrol, Paseo de Extremadura and Avenida de Portugal; travel from Puente de Segovia via Saavedra Fajardo, Pablo Casals and Sepúlveda streets; or head from Glorieta de Puerta de Toledo via Paseo de los Pontones, Puente de San Isidro, Vía Carpetana and Concejal Francisco José Jiménez Martín street.
The current work on the northbound tunnel follows last summer’s work on the southbound tunnel, which required a closure twice as long, from July 18 to August 31. Civil engineering work on the new tunnel was expected to finish in September, after which the Paseo Verde del Suroeste would begin to take shape at street level. The project’s later timetable puts completion of the tunnel excavation in May and the basic civil-engineering works in August. Technical installations, finishes, ventilation and lighting will follow before the final connection with the M-30. That connection is scheduled for November or December 2026, with the tunnel expected to open to traffic before the end of the year.
The underground road is approximately three kilometers long and is planned to connect with the M-30 near Avenida de Portugal. It will have three lanes in each direction across two spans, with basic bus-VAO lanes and variable-signage systems. The surface change covers about 3.2 kilometers through Campamento, Casa de Campo, Lucero, Aluche and Las Águilas, replacing part of the highway corridor with local streets, cycle infrastructure and green public space.
Madrid plans to open the new tunnel by the end of the year, burying a highway that has divided Lucero, Aluche, Las Águilas, Campamento and Casa de Campo since 1968. The A-5 corridor carries about 80,000 vehicles daily; the project aims to move that traffic underground and reclaim the surface for local connections. The city’s projected 90% reductions in surface traffic and traffic-related pollution apply to the affected corridor. They do not mean those journeys will disappear from Madrid’s wider road network.
The tunnel works have a budget of €347.4 million, with another €57.8 million allocated for surface urbanization. The Ministry of Housing will cover the cost of the second phase of the underground project, which is still pending tender. The budget includes €146 million for the section beyond Campamento and €8 million for a future transport interchange in the area. Surface urbanization will continue after the tunnel opens, with the full public-area works scheduled to run into the first quarter of 2028.
Traffic arrangements have continued to change as the project advances. A lane reconfiguration on the outbound A-5 near Calle de Illescas became operational on October 23, 2026, as part of the third phase of the Paseo Verde del Suroeste. Surface work includes local traffic lanes, a cycle lane and new green areas, and will continue alongside the final tunnel connection and opening.
Madrid’s large-scale infrastructure upgrades echo urban renewal efforts in other Spanish cities. Valencia, for example, recently launched a major housing and infrastructure plan in La Torre following severe floods, as detailed in this report on new public housing and safety measures. Such projects reflect a growing focus on reconnecting neighborhoods and improving urban mobility across Spain.
The M-30 and A-5 works form part of a broader effort to modernize transport infrastructure, reduce surface traffic and create more livable urban environments. The tunnel is expected to open before the completed Paseo Verde del Suroeste park and streetscape, so construction and traffic-management measures will continue after the road opens. Once finished, the project aims to improve pedestrian and cycling links and reconnect communities on either side of the former surface route.
