Eixample Closes 4 Streets to Cars Starting November 18

The Barcelona city government will introduce new mobility rules on 18 November across four streets in the Eixample district. Consell de Cent, Girona, Rocafort and Comte Borrell will shift from through roads to green hubs that give priority to pedestrians along with local and service traffic. Four new squares at their intersections will also open under the same rules, breaking the straight-line paths that private cars have used to cross the district.

These changes form part of the Eixample Superblock project and end the role of Consell de Cent as a continuous east-west link. Drivers who need to cross the area will have to choose different streets because the new layout forces turns at most blocks. The city announcement states that local residents and service vehicles will retain access to homes, shops and car parks, yet most journeys along the green hubs will require exiting onto the next cross street.

Route planning and daily access for Eixample residents

Residents living inside the affected blocks will still reach their addresses at all times, but they will need to turn at each intersection in most cases. Three junctions will keep straight-through options: Consell de Cent with Aribau, Consell de Cent with Passeig de Gràcia, and the four points around the future square at Consell de Cent and Girona. Emergency vehicles, bicycles and service traffic will keep the ability to travel straight where others must turn. Public transport routes remain unchanged during the works, and loading zones will stay on cross streets until space opens on the green hubs themselves.

The city will place staff on site to explain the turns to drivers and will distribute leaflets in buildings along the green hubs and nearby streets. Signs will also appear in apartment blocks to help residents identify the new patterns before they drive. The government recommends that people check the mobility map published on the Superilles website and test routes in advance during the first weeks after 18 November.

Scale of pedestrian space and next steps

The four green hubs and squares will add 58,000 square metres of pedestrian area once complete. The source document from the city lists this figure as part of the transformation that replaces asphalt with paving and adds green space covering between 1 and 12 percent of the roadway surface. Works continue without affecting garage access or bus services, and new pedestrian paths are already signposted.

Further updates on the exact turn restrictions and any adjustments during construction will be posted on the Barcelona Superblock website. The measures take effect on 18 November and apply only to the listed streets in the Eixample.