Benidorm revives plan to create parking in Jaume I

Benidorm City Council has announced the construction of a new underground car park on Jaume I Avenue, with a capacity for over 400 vehicles, thus reviving a project that had been stalled for nearly 15 years. Mayor Toni Pérez explained that the city council will vote next Monday on granting the concession to Telpark Benidorm, the company already managing the car parks at Ametlla del Mar, Municipal Market, and Tomás Ortuño.

The company, which acquired the Aljamil concession just over a year ago, will have the right to build and operate this new public car park. According to Pérez, this infrastructure will "significantly increase parking availability in the area and help boost commercial and community activity." The mayor also emphasized that the project will be carried out "with maximum respect for existing trees and minimizing impact on businesses, residents, and pedestrian traffic."

The car park will span the section between Nicaragua and Ricardo Bayona Avenues, approximately 350 meters long. The plan is for work to begin after the Immaculate Conception holiday, starting with fencing and excavation on the roadway, and to last for 15 months.

The project also includes the creation of two new roundabouts to facilitate access to the parking without disrupting traffic: one at the intersection of Ricardo Bayona and Los Limones, and another near Marqués de Comillas.

According to Toni Pérez, efforts will be made to ensure minimal disruption for both residents and businesses. On the left side of the avenue, sidewalks will only be encroached upon at specific points, while on the right side, they will be temporarily narrowed by a few meters, "always respecting pedestrian traffic and access to buildings and shops." Upon completion, the pavement will be fully restored.

The mayor recalled that "Jaume I Avenue was remodeled less than a decade ago," which is why it has been demanded that the new work "minimally affect the surroundings and especially care for the trees." In this regard, 31 trees will be temporarily transplanted to a nursery under the supervision of the municipal agronomist, to be later relocated to another area of the city.

"We will not repeat past mistakes," assured Pérez, referring to the failed attempt to build the car park in 2010, which left the avenue in poor condition for years. "This time, political and technical leaders will be vigilant to ensure that the works are carried out with the utmost respect for the environment and the neighborhood," he added.

The Jaume I underground car park was originally included in the Futura 2000 Plan, which promoted other municipal car parks such as those in Foietes, Ametlla del Mar, the Market, and Tomás Ortuño. Although surveys in 2009 confirmed its feasibility, the project never materialized, and the avenue remained deteriorated until its comprehensive renovation in 2015, under the leadership of Toni Pérez, which included shaded areas and the planting of nearly 90 new trees.

The mayor highlighted that since then, Benidorm has transformed its urban mobility, creating over 9,000 park-and-ride spaces, implementing the Low Emission Zone (LEZ), and expanding pedestrian areas. "We believe that now is indeed the time to execute this work, necessary to provide more public parking around Jaume I and improve accessibility, traffic, and commercial capacity in the area," he concluded.