Construction on the North-South BRT project begins in April.

City Hall of Goiânia - Construction of the North-South Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is scheduled to begin by April 19th. The Isolux - EPC and WVG consortium has a maximum of 30 days from the issuance of the service order, signed last Thursday jointly by the President of the Republic, Dilma Rousseff, the Mayor of Goiânia, Paulo Garcia, and the Minister of Cities, Gilberto Kassab, to begin work on the 21,8 kilometers of exclusive express lane for 93 articulated and conventional buses, connecting the North and South regions of the capital. The Goiânia City Hall, however, hopes that work will begin by the first half of April. The BRT implementation is expected to last until November 2016.

According to engineer Benjamin Kennedy Machado, from the Coordination Unit for the Implementation of the North-South BRT Project, the city hall intends for the works to begin simultaneously on two work fronts: one on Avenida Rio Verde, Parque Amazônia, and the other on Avenida Goiás Norte, Setor Urias Magalhães. However, confirmation of the initial works should only occur within the next nine days, the deadline by which the companies in the consortium must submit the action schedule to the Executive branch for approval.

According to Ubirajara Alves Abbud, coordinator of the North-South BRT in Goiânia, although the Goiânia City Hall has not yet received the work plan, it is already certain that the work will be carried out simultaneously in several parts of the city, but in small sections. The goal is to minimize the impact on traffic in the vicinity of the works. “We will tackle, for example, two blocks at a time. This way, we can finish and free up the space for public use in order to minimize the impact on local traffic and access to businesses and residents along the corridor,” explains Ubirajara.

The construction of the North-South BRT will require direct works on 17 roads in the capital: Avenida Rio Verde, Avenida Quarta Radial, Avenida Primeira Radial, Rua 90, Praça do Cruzeiro, Rua 84, Rua 82 (Praça Cívica), Avenida Goiás, Praça dos Trabalhadores, Avenida Goiás Norte, Avenida Horácio Costa e Silva, Rua Tapuios, Avenida Genésio de Lima Brito, Avenida dos Ipês, Avenida Lúcio Rebelo, Rua Oriente and Avenida Mangalô. In addition to these roads, which make up the route, there will be interventions on streets adjacent to the route, which begins at the Cruzeiro do Sul Terminal in Parque Amazônia and continues to the Recanto do Bosque Terminal, located in the neighborhood of the same name. Near the Bus Rapid Transit, there will be a need to reconfigure vertical, horizontal, and traffic light signage.

To make the North-South BRT viable, it will be necessary to construct three underpasses located at the intersection of Avenida Rio Verde with Rua Tapajós; Rua 90 with Avenida 136; and Avenida Goiás Norte with Perimetral Norte. The plan also includes three new terminals and the renovation of three existing ones. The new terminals are located near the Post Office in Vila Brasília; the Bus Station in the Central Sector; and Avenida Perimetral. The terminals undergoing extensive renovation are Isidória in the Pedro Ludovico Sector; Recanto do Bosque; and Cruzeiro. These terminals are essential to enable integration along the 21,8 kilometers of the BRT, directly benefiting 148 neighborhoods in the capital and Aparecida de Goiânia. In addition, integration will be achieved through 39 boarding and disembarking platforms. The list of actions also includes the installation of more modern lighting and rainwater drainage systems, sensors and monitoring cameras; and the execution of a new landscaping project.

Investment

According to Mayor Paulo Garcia, the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) works will reduce current commute times by 40%. “It’s a significant change. Only those who ride the bus know how important this is. It means leaving home later, returning home earlier, having time to stop somewhere to buy bread, shop, go to the dentist, to the health center, for leisure. It allows people to do many things they previously couldn't access due to lack of time,” he says. The system will operate via an exclusive lane, segregated by dedicated channels, where buses equipped with air conditioning and timetable information technology will travel through the city at speeds between 25 and 28 kilometers per hour, double the current speed. The vehicles, operating on four lines, are expected to transport 15 passengers during peak hours and a total of 120 passengers per day.

According to President Dilma Rousseff, although Goiânia is a planned city, urban growth exceeding initial expectations makes interventions to improve urban mobility in the capital urgently needed. “Goiânia has grown and now has to face some challenges similar to those of large metropolises. Thank God and thanks to the people of Goiânia, we have better conditions to face these challenges because much has already been accomplished. For me, it is very important to come here and show that we, in partnership, will build this BRT and transform it into one of the main axes for what? To guarantee living conditions, dignity, the right to be with children, the right to use one's time. Because if there is one thing that is valuable in each of our lives, it is time. Fast transportation means that you control your time, that you can use it for culture, for leisure, to be with your family,” she reflects.

Considering today's prices, the entire project will require an investment of approximately R$ 340 million. Of this total, R$ 210 million is allocated by the Federal Government through the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC) - Pact for Mobility, and another R$ 130 million is a contribution from the Municipal Treasury. This amount, the responsibility of the city government, includes separate costs such as the 65 property expropriations necessary for the implementation of the exclusive bus lane, investments in Information Technology, supervision of the BRT construction, and restructuring of adjacent road signage.