BRT construction in the capital city is almost at a standstill.
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), touted in the last election campaign as a solution to a significant portion of Belo Horizonte's traffic problems, is progressing slowly. Few workers are on site, and some sections of the construction remain untouched.
Minas 247 - Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) was considered by Mayor Marcio Lacerda (PSB), during the last election campaign, as the best solution for Belo Horizonte's traffic problems. The BRT, basically corridors where public buses circulate, is a cheaper alternative than the subway, hence its selection by several cities around the world. However, in the capital of Minas Gerais, the works are progressing slowly, with few workers on site. Some sections of the project remain untouched.
Read an excerpt from the article by Peter Rotterdam, from the newspaper Nowadays:
The BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) construction is progressing slowly, with few workers and services at a standstill. In downtown Belo Horizonte and on Cristiano Machado Avenue, the work is more advanced than on Pedro I and Antônio Carlos Avenues.
The work on Pedro I Avenue was divided into three parts. One, at the intersection with Vilarinho Avenue; another, in the middle of the road; the last, on the border with Antônio Carlos Avenue. In the third part, despite the Municipal Department of Public Works and Infrastructure reporting that transition stations are being built, the Hoje em Dia team found, around 13:40 pm yesterday, only two workers planting grass.
In the middle of the avenue, which is being widened, the works have stopped due to a snag in the expropriations. Residents believe that the Belo Horizonte City Hall could offer more money for the land.
“Furthermore, we don’t know if they will demolish the houses partially or completely. This is causing problems,” says Ana Cristina Campos Drumond, president of the Residents' Association of Pedro I, Vilarinho and surrounding avenues. The expectation is that both sides will hold a meeting after January 25th.
The only sections where the Hoje em Dia team frequently found workers on duty were at the intersection of Pedro I and Vilarinho streets and on Cristiano Machado street, near Minas Shopping.
However, the number of workers is puzzling residents of the surrounding areas, who want the construction to end as soon as possible.
“They are going very slowly and, in my opinion, they should hire more people,” says salesman Antônio Eustáquio Silva, 55, who lives in Cidade Nova. The department did not comment on the number of workers on the construction site.