Andorra Opens Final Valira River Walkway for Flood Safety and Access

Authorities inaugurated the final stretch of river canalisation and walkway along the right bank of the Valira River in Andorra la Vella, completing efforts to bolster flood protection and improve public access.

The 160-metre section extends from the Comella roundabout to the National Stadium access point, passing under the cauldron for the Small States Games in May 2025. The project, which also features a new river access scale, enhances pedestrian links between neighbourhoods and sports facilities while prioritising safety and environmental preservation.

Head of Government Xavier Espot called the walkway a "new way to relate to our surroundings, the river, and a public space that gains in quality and accessibility" at the ceremony. He described it as a long-awaited initiative dating back decades to the 1982 floods, aimed at reclaiming the river for citizens and making it safer.

The work finished on schedule at a total cost of €1.04 million, with the government funding 86%—around €900,000—for riverbank revegetation and renaturalisation. Andorra la Vella parish covered the remaining €140,000 for the pedestrian path, access reorganisation to the Communal Stadium, railings, lighting and other street furniture.

Territory and Urbanism Minister Raül Ferré and Andorra la Vella consul Sergi González joined Espot in praising inter-administration cooperation. González positioned the river as a "backbone" for the parish, while Espot referred to it as an "axis of coexistence." Ferré noted the path now enables safe travel from Santa Coloma to Andorra la Vella along the opposite riverbank.

Additional features include revegetation and water access for sport fishing, added at the Hunting and Fishing Federation (FACIP) request, with rocks to support trout breeding. FACIP president Jossep Maria Cabanes described the outcome as "spectacular" and highlighted fishing's tourism potential, suggesting Andorra could develop one of Europe's top trout rivers.