Los Locos Beach is changing: Torrevieja begins the €8.6 million waterfront redevelopment

Torrevieja has begun the redevelopment of the Playa de Los Locos waterfront. The €8.59 million project will transform more than one kilometre of coastline: cars will have less space, pedestrians will have more, and a new system of public spaces with greenery, resting areas and improved beach access will be created between the city and the sea. The first section is already closed to traffic. The entire project is scheduled for completion on 1 January 2028.

For Torrevieja, this is not simply another urban renewal project.

Los Locos Beach is one of the city's well-known and busy coastal areas. Residential buildings, restaurants and cafés, garages, road traffic, pedestrians and a popular urban beach all coexist here.

The city has now decided to completely reorganise this space.

What exactly is being redeveloped?

The project covers the redevelopment and pedestrian transformation of the coastline from the junction of Avenida de la Purísima and Calle La Sal to Avenida Roentgen, with a connection to the Punta Margalla promenade.

The total intervention covers 21,044.75 square metres, while the pedestrian transformation of the coastline extends for more than 1,100 metres.

However, the entire future work area is not currently closed.

On 23 September 2026, the first section was closed, between Calle La Sal and Curva del Palangre.

Avenida de las Habaneras remains open, and traffic can continue through Calle Mariano Ruiz Cánovas.

This distinction is important: the project is large, but the city has not closed the entire area at once.

Why is the redevelopment being carried out?

The official objective is to provide enough space for people to walk and stay in the area, improve access to the beach and create a more direct and appropriate relationship between the city and the sea.

At the same time, the city intends to increase green areas, trees and resting spaces.

In other words, the existing space is intended to evolve from an area with a strong traffic presence into an urban public space giving priority to pedestrians.

What will the new promenade look like?

The project organises the space on two levels.

Upper level

It will be directly connected with the urban area.

It will include:

• wide pedestrian areas;

• resting spaces;

• access to buildings;

• areas for restaurant and café terraces;

• access to garages;

• passage for necessary municipal and emergency services.

It is therefore incorrect to say that vehicles will disappear completely.

Vehicle access will be restricted mainly to necessary functions.

Lower level

It will be located closer to the beach.

It will include lighter pedestrian routes, landscaped areas, resting spaces and connections between the upper level and the beach.

The main idea is to make the route from the city to the sea more comfortable and accessible.

What will there be for children and beach users?

The project includes:

• new green areas;

• tree planting;

• new urban furniture;

• three children's play areas;

• biosaludable areas for physical activity;

• resting areas;

• new beach access points;

• public toilets;

• a medical post.

The promenade should therefore become a space not only for reaching the sea, but also for walking, resting, exercising and spending time with the family.

What will change for cars?

This will be one of the most visible changes.

Cars will no longer be the main users of the space immediately next to the beach.

The project includes traffic restrictions, while maintaining access to garages and passage for services and emergency vehicles.

For local residents this means a change to the current traffic pattern: travelling along Los Locos by car will be considerably less convenient than it is today.

In return, pedestrians will gain more space.

What about bicycles?

It is important here to distinguish between the initial plans and the final project.

In 2021, the original technical specifications for the project did include a cycle path, as well as studies of traffic, parking, public transport and residents' access.

However, the final solution does not include a continuous cycle lane along the entire promenade.

Therefore, it would be incorrect to state that the new promenade will have a continuous cycling route along its full length.

Will the beach become smaller?

The project does not involve extending the promenade by taking land from the sea.

The works are being carried out within the existing space, and the planned solutions are intended to maintain access to the beach during construction and after completion.

The municipality also states that the project has been adapted taking into account sectoral reports from the Generalitat Valenciana and the Provincial Coastal Service of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.

What will happen to restaurants and cafés?

Restaurants and other first-line establishments will remain part of the new urban environment.

The project allows for terraces, but they must be integrated into the new organisation of the space and must not obstruct normal pedestrian movement.

For businesses, the effect will be mixed.

Once the works are completed, the surroundings should become more attractive.

But during construction, restaurants, cafés and shops will have to operate under construction conditions and temporary restrictions.

How much does the project cost?

The original tender budget was €10,067,284.73 including VAT.

Following the procurement procedure, PAVASAL offered to carry out the works for €8,592,352 including VAT.

The reduction from the original budget was 14.65%.

The €8.592 million is therefore the value of the awarded contract.

Why are the works being carried out in stages?

The municipality has divided the project into four consecutive sections.

The works are being carried out with a single construction front: a new section does not begin until the previous one has been completed.

Once each section is completed, it can be temporarily reopened.

The aim is to reduce the area occupied by construction at any one time and limit the impact on residents, businesses and tourism.

Each of the four sections will also be carried out in two phases.

First, work will take place on the sea side while maintaining the pavement next to the buildings.

The completed area will then be opened and the works will move to the opposite side.

What is happening now?

The first closed section is Calle La Sal — Curva del Palangre.

Avenida de las Habaneras remains open.

Traffic can continue through Calle Mariano Ruiz Cánovas.

The municipality reports that access is being maintained to:

• homes;

• garages;

• shops;

• restaurants;

• the beach.

Protected pedestrian routes are being provided.

Where necessary, steel plates will be used to allow vehicles to access existing garages.

Even bus route number 8 has already changed

Because construction has begun, the route of Line 8 Centro–La Mata has been temporarily modified.

The change affects the direction from central Torrevieja towards La Mata.

The return journey from La Mata to the centre is currently maintaining its existing route until further construction progress requires additional changes.

When will everything be finished?

The contract establishes a construction period of 18 months.

According to the latest official communication from Torrevieja City Council, published on 23 September 2026, completion is scheduled for 1 January 2028.

This is no longer a project on paper.

After the start-of-works record was signed, preliminary work was carried out: locating underground services, topographical surveying, geotechnical studies, ground-penetrating radar investigations, test pits and drilling.

The actual construction phase has now begun.

What will an ordinary Torrevieja resident gain?

If the project's promotional language is removed, the result can be summarised through several practical changes.

More space for walking.

The pedestrian area will be wider and more organised.

More convenient access to the sea.

The new layout is intended to improve the connection between the city and the beach.

More greenery and shade.

Trees and landscaped areas should make the promenade more comfortable, particularly during summer.

More opportunities for families.

There will be three children's play areas.

More places to rest and exercise.

Resting areas and biosaludable zones will be created.

A more accessible urban environment.

One of the official objectives of the project is to improve beach accessibility.

Less car presence next to the sea.

Pedestrians gain space and cars lose prominence.

But the project also has a less comfortable side

For drivers, the new layout means restrictions.

For residents and businesses, the next 18 months mean construction, noise, temporary traffic changes and organisational difficulties.

For restaurants and shops on the first line, maintaining customer access during construction will be particularly important.

For cyclists, the absence of a continuous cycle lane remains an issue.

And the consequences for traffic and parking can only be properly assessed after the redevelopment has been completed and the new promenade is operating normally.

It is therefore still too early to say that the project will be equally convenient for everyone.

A project prepared over several years

The history of the redevelopment began long before construction machinery appeared.

In August 2021, Torrevieja City Council approved the administrative specifications for preparing the project to reorganise the Playa de Los Locos promenade.

The project was then further developed and adapted in accordance with sectoral reports from the Generalitat Valenciana and the Provincial Coastal Service.

In March 2026, PAVASAL received the highest assessment among 11 participating companies in the procurement procedure.

In May, the City Council formally awarded the contract.

In July, the start-of-setting-out record was signed.

And on 23 September, the first closure began.

What will ultimately change in Los Locos?

In a year and a half, residents should find a completely different organisation of one of Torrevieja's best-known coastal areas:

more than 1,100 metres of transformed coastline, 21,044.75 m² of intervention area, new green spaces, trees, resting areas, children's playgrounds, physical-activity zones and a much stronger priority for pedestrians.

The price of this transformation will be €8.592 million and 18 months of construction.

For Los Locos residents, the immediate period will be marked mainly by disruption.

For Torrevieja as a whole, the result should be a new urban space beside the sea.

But the real assessment of the project will come after the construction barriers disappear and residents can use the new promenade every day.

Official sources

1. Ayuntamiento de Torrevieja — “El Ayuntamiento inicia el corte del primer tramo de las obras de reurbanización del paseo de la Playa de los Locos”, 23.09.2026. Main and most recent source: start of construction, first section, four consecutive sections, access arrangements, Line 8 changes, €8,592,352 contract value and completion scheduled for 1 January 2028.

2. Ayuntamiento de Torrevieja — “Adjudicadas las obras de reurbanización de la Playa de Los Locos a la mercantil PAVASAL, por un importe de 8.592.352 euros”, 08.05.2026. Source for the final contract value, PAVASAL, the 21,044.75 m² intervention area, more than 1,100 metres of coastline and project characteristics.

3. Ayuntamiento de Torrevieja — “La mercantil PAVASAL, la mejor valorada por la mesa de contratación para ser adjudicataria de las obras de reurbanización de la Playa de los Locos, con una oferta de 8.592.352 euros”, 27.03.2026. Source for the procurement procedure and the 11 participating companies.

4. Ayuntamiento de Torrevieja — “Salen a licitación las obras de reurbanización de la Playa de Los Locos”, 31.10.2025. Source for the original €10,067,284.73 budget and the project solutions.

5. Ayuntamiento de Torrevieja — “Aprobados los pliegos administrativos para la contratación del servicio de redacción de proyecto para la reorganización del paseo de la playa de Los Locos”, 06.08.2021. Source for the original technical specifications and administrative history of the project.

6. Plataforma de Contratación del Sector Público — Expediente Electrónico nº 11647/2021. Official initial procurement and technical documentation.

7. Ayuntamiento de Torrevieja — Extracto del Acta de la Junta de Gobierno Local correspondiente al expediente 11647/2021. Official municipal document relating to the reorganisation project for Avenida Dr. Mariano Ruiz Cánovas / Playa de Los Locos.