Canal Imperial

SERS drew up the design for upgrading the left bank of the Canal Imperial de Aragón along its urban stretch between Avenida de San José and the area around Santa Ana school, a scheme approximately 1,160 m long and covering 93,000 m² aimed at recovering and renaturalising this historic space and bringing it fully into Zaragoza's network of green areas and sustainable mobility. The works give continuity to the city's Green Ring and improve walking and cycling connections between the San José, La Paz and Torrero neighbourhoods and the future housing developments nearby.

The layout is organised around a continuous 6.50 m wide pedestrian promenade beside the canal and a segregated two-way cycle lane 3.07 m wide, both running the full length of the area. The scheme gives priority to walking and cycling, universal accessibility and the creation of a large green corridor, adding new planting, places to spend time, play areas, meeting spaces and permeable paving, while integrating and bringing out the value of the large trees and the existing hydraulic heritage.

Improving connectivity is one of the main features of the project, with two new bridges over the canal and the renewal or replacement of three footbridges between the two banks. Notable spaces include Playa de los Torreros, with a landing stage, viewpoint-stage, amphitheatre and play areas; the recovery and landscape integration of the historic irrigation channels; the surroundings of the centuries-old oak; and the new Cabezo Cortado park, conceived as a large natural and recreational space with footpaths, children's areas, sports areas, a picnic area and viewpoints over the city and the Ebro valley.

The design also includes the development works needed to serve the new residential areas, as well as the renewal of the main urban infrastructure. In hydraulic terms it covers 12 new sewers, a new irrigation network organised into 15 sectors and the renewal of the main water supply pipe with a 500 mm diameter conduit, and is completed with lighting, drainage, signing and street furniture.