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Work has begun on installing the main cables that will support a new shade system over one of Cartagena’s busiest shopping streets, as the city council tries to ensure the project is ready well before the summer heat arrives.

 

Crews started work late on Tuesday night, March 3, on Calle del Carmen, the heart of the shopping district in Cartagena. The company responsible for the installation, Pegiro, is currently fitting the large tension cables that will support the textile shade panels planned for the street.

 

The operation involves a team of five workers using two small cranes, a larger crane and a truck to stretch the heavy cables across the street. To minimise disruption for shops, cafés and pedestrians, the work is being carried out overnight between 10pm and 6am and is expected to take three nights to complete.

 

Once the main support cable is in place, crews will move on to installing the secondary tensioning elements needed to hold the shade panels.

 

The project will pause during Holy Week before continuing afterwards, with the full installation expected to be completed in May.

 

City officials are keen to push the work forward early this year after complaints from shoppers and business owners last summer about the lack of shade in the city centre during the hottest months of the summer. The absence of any cover along Calle del Carmen, one of the main pedestrian routes through the shopping district, became a frequent point of criticism during heatwaves.

 

By starting work months in advance this time around, the aim is to ensure the canopy system is ready well before the peak of the summer season, providing some relief from the intense heat for both shoppers and the businesses that line the street.

 

Image: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena