PTV models support new under-river tunnel in Bilbao

PTV Visum and PTV Vissim software were essential in supporting the design of a new tunnel under the Nervión river in Bilbao, Spain.

Bilbao, a dynamic city in the Basque Bizkaia province, faced challenges due to its transport network's topographic constraints and navigability issues. To address these challenges, a new road connection through a tunnel in Lamiako, just north of Bilbao, was proposed.  

The project aims to reduce congestion on the Rontegi Bridge and enhance the overall resilience of the mobility network. Additionally, planners explored if a proposed automated people mover solution in the tunnel, linking metro stations on both sides of the river, will improve public transport.

Engineering consultancy SyT was tasked by the regional government of Bizkaia to conduct transport and traffic studies of the planned tunnel, including cost-benefit analysis, demand studies, and network vulnerability analysis.  

To address the complexities, SyT used PTV Visum and PTV Vissim for a well-structured transport modeling exercise. The models were adapted and updated with floating car data and mobile phone origin-destination (OD) data.  

Multi-resolution modeling was employed, combining multimodal demand modeling with PTV Visum, and dynamic traffic assignment with PTV Vissim. PTV Vissim was also used to create a detailed micro-simulation for road interchange design decisions. On top of that, PTV Group provided technical audits, ensuring reliable results.  

PTV Group provided SyT with close support for the innovative vulnerability road network analysis, as demanded by regional government. This entailed specific training and technical support on the new Simulation Based Assignment procedure (SBA).  

Overall, PTV Visum and PTV Vissim played pivotal roles in overcoming the project's challenges. The tunnel is under construction and will be opened in 2028, creating a more efficient and sustainable transport network in the Bilbao area.