Construction of Halo Contributes to Enhancing Mobility in Vigo, Spain

Ferrovial, in consortium with Galician construction company Oreco Balgón, has completed construction of the Halo elevator in Vigo, northwestern Spain, which connects the city’s Areal district with the shopping area around Vialia square. This functional infrastructure, which has been inaugurated recently, improves mobility by providing pedestrians with a means of crossing the AP-9 highway, formerly a barrier, and enabling them to access the train and bus stations.

The project, which cost a total of 15.7 million euro, took approximately 18 months to complete. The Halo consists of a 36-meter-high concrete tower containing two elevators that lead up to a ring-shaped metal walkway 86 meters in diameter and 190 meters long. Both the walkway structure and the elevator tower are clad with curved glass and solid surface panels, a high-quality, self-cleaning organic material that gives the structure a distinctive white color.

The elevators, each of which can carry 17 people, take about 30 seconds to connect the lower part of the city with the upper part, on Vía Norte, enabling users to avoid a two-kilometer journey and bridging a 50-meter difference in height.

The project is part of Vigo City Government’s “Vigo Vertical” initiative, which aims to overcome the problems posed by the city’s hilly terrain and improve access. This municipal strategy also seeks to drive economic development and social inclusion, and to protect the environment by reducing carbon emissions and promoting more sustainable mobility.

The structure, partly unroofed with views of the bay, is open to the public 24 hours a day. The elevators operate from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday, and from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and the eves of holidays.

Apart from the technical characteristics of the construction, the project was complex because of its location, as the Halo stands across a busy freeway and is in the vicinity of a school, a busy shopping center and an intermodal transit hub.

To minimize the disruption to Vigo residents, Ferrovial and Oreco Balgón had to adapt the construction of the Halo to these circumstances. As a result, much of the structural and finishing work was performed at night to avoid having to cut the AP-9 freeway.