City government is studying extending the subway to Belvedere.
The idea is to extend the urban rail transport in Belo Horizonte from Savassi to the southern neighborhood, where upper-class residents live. This measure would substantially improve the extremely complicated traffic in the area, but it remains just a dream for now: so far, there hasn't even been a bidding process for the expansion to Savassi.
Minas 247 - The city government of Belo Horizonte is studying the possibility of extending the city's metro system to the Belvedere neighborhood, home to upper-class residents of the Minas Gerais capital. If implemented, this measure would significantly improve traffic in the southern zone, considered by experts to be the main traffic bottleneck in Belo Horizonte.
The idea is still in its very early stages. It depends, for example, on making the expansion of the subway feasible, with the creation of a new line connecting Lagoinha (near the city's bus station, in the center) to Savassi. This section, which would finally connect train transport in the capital to two of the areas with the highest movement of people and cars (the central area and Savassi), has not even begun to be put out to tender.
BHTrans has already requested a study on alternatives for the metro that should include expansion to Belvedere. The study cost the municipal agency R$ 402. According to Planum Planejamento e Consultoria Urbana, the company conducting the research, a metro connecting Savassi to Belvedere would have a demand of approximately 10 passengers per hour during peak times in 2020. Currently, almost 100 cars travel daily on the main road connecting the two neighborhoods, Avenida Nossa Senhora do Carmo.
Read the full article below. Joelmir Tavares, from the newspaper The time:
The underground metro section between Lagoinha and Savassi hasn't even started the bidding process, but the Belo Horizonte City Hall is already evaluating the possibility of extending the tracks underground, connecting Savassi and Belvedere. The project is considered one of the most viable solutions to improve traffic in the so-called South axis, seen by the Transportation and Traffic Company (BHTrans) as one of the areas with the most critical traffic in the capital. Commissioned by BHTrans, at a cost of R$ 402, the study on alternatives for the area should be completed by August.
It is already known that the solution is to create a mass transit system. Of the five options proposed, the subway was more advantageous than Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT), Light Rail Transit (LRV), and the monorail. "In all comparisons, the subway proves to be more viable, with better performance and capacity, as well as less environmental and urban impact," explains Tomás Ahouagi, advisor for metropolitan and subway relations at BHTrans.
According to projections by Planum Planejamento e Consultoria Urbana, the company conducting the research, the Savassi/Belvedere metro line will have a demand of 10 passengers per hour, in each direction, during peak hours in 2020. BHTrans hopes that, with the new transportation option, those who travel through the region will leave their cars at home. Currently, 95 vehicles pass daily in both directions on Avenida Nossa Senhora do Carmo, the main connecting road between the two areas.
The preliminary study will serve as a technical basis for future intervention in the area. However, approval of the project depends on a political decision. "We are thinking about solutions for the future," says Márcio Duarte, coordinator of the city's subway expansion project.
Two routes for extending the subway, in the approximately 12 km stretch, are being studied. The first would start from Savassi and follow the route of Nossa Senhora do Carmo and BR-356, ending near the Leroy Merlin store, after BH Shopping.
The second route is similar: it would start in the Savassi region, pass under Nossa Senhora do Carmo and Avenida Uruguai, in the Sion neighborhood, in the South-Central region, returning to the 356 bus line near the Ponteio curve.
The construction of the subway between Lagoinha and Pampulha, which would improve access to Mineirão stadium, still depends on funding. To facilitate the connection between the two regions, BHTrans is implementing the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) system.
The bidding process for basic geotechnical and topographic studies for the expansion of Line 1 and the construction of sections 2 and 3 of the metro is practically at square one. The expectation of the Belo Horizonte City Hall (PBH) is to sign the contract with the winning companies by the end of the month. They will have three months to complete the services.
According to Márcio Duarte, coordinator of the PBH (Belo Horizonte City Hall) metro expansion project, the agreement with the company that will carry out the geotechnical surveys has already received a favorable opinion from the city hall's legal department. The bidding process for the topographic analyses is further delayed because the competitors had documentation problems.
The PBH (Belo Horizonte City Hall) and the Minas Gerais state government are investing R$ 8,3 million in conducting the bidding processes. The soil analyses will support the development of the detailed design, which, before it can be put out to tender, still depends on the release of funds from the federal government.
Last September, President Dilma Rousseff pledged R$ 2 billion for the expansion of the subway system. The state government, the municipalities served, and the private sector will also have to invest in order for the works to be carried out.