Chosen to host the 2014 World Cup more than four years ago, only now, 30 months before the World Cup opening, Brazil begins the kickoff for most works of urban mobility. Out of 49 works foreseen by the government in the new responsibilities matrix, only 10 are in progress. Interventions occur only in five host cities: Belo Horizonte (5 works), Cuiabá (1), Porto Alegre (2), Recife (1) and Rio de Janeiro (1).
First signed in January 2010, the Responsibilities Matrix (see the old one) was revised in September this year. Therefore, the document was modified, with new deadlines and values (see the new Matrix). In total, the mobility works are estimated at R$ 13.5 billion.
Brasília, Fortaleza, Manaus, Recife and São Paulo have delayed works, a total of 13 interventions. 24 more works will be started in the early months of 2012. In Fortaleza and Curitiba, it is expected that two adjustments begin in December.
Check out the list of works in each host city:
Belo Horizonte
The capital of Minas Gerais follows the schedule of works. Of the eight planned interventions, five have already been initiated. The rest will begin until March 2012. The total investment is R$ 1.38 billion. It is expected that all works will be completed by May 2013, a month before Confederations Cup, which will have one of the semi-finals in Belo Horizonte. The main projects are the BRT of avenues of Antônio Carlos and Cristiano Machado.
Brasília
The city that will receive the Confederations Cup opening has two mobility works provided in the Responsibilities Matrix. The interventions, however, will not be ready until the start of the tournament that serves as a test for the World Cup. The LRV, which will connect Juscelino Kubitschek airport to the South Wing, faces problems since 2009, when the notice to bid was released. Placed under suspicion by the Justice of the Federal District, the work was suspended in April this year. A new bidding process should be initiated later this year.
Cuiabá
To improve the urban mobility picture in time for the World Cup, Cuiabá bet in the Light Rail Vehicle, which has a budget above R$ 1 billion. The choice of the system, however, is under suspicion, with possible fraud in the technical opinion of the Ministry of Cities that legitimized the LRV as the preferred project for the World Cup. The controversy did not affect the expectation of the Secretariat of the World Cup, which ensures the start of works for the first quarter of 2012. Cuiabá still calls attention to the interventions in Mário Andreazza highway corridor; two of them are already in progress.
Curitiba
With only four games in the World Cup and out of the Confederations Cup, the city will have nine mobility works by 2014. Budgeted at R$ 453 million, the changes will be initiated in the early months of 2012. Only the Green Line South extension should begin later this year. According to the government, the work is still in the bidding stage. The same occurs with the redevelopment of the corridor of Avenida Marechal Floriano Peixoto, scheduled for February 2012.
Fortaleza
The works of the LRV Parangaba-Mucuripe have not started yet, due to negotiations with the residents who will be expropriated. The road interventions in five avenues, although already bidded, will only be finalized in August 2013, two months after the Confederations Cup.
Manaus
The two urban mobility projects planned for Manaus to the 2014 World Cup are at risk of not being ready for the competition. The monorail, budgeted at R$ 1.55 billion, has its project refuted by the Office of the Comptroller General and the Federal Public Prosecutor in Amazonas, which indicate irregularities and lack of specifications – such as the fare of the modal and material to be used in the work – in the project. The BRT (bus rapid transit) suffers from delays as well. Given these problems, the Amazonas government even admitted that at least the monorail is not an essential work for the World Cup.
Natal
The city of Natal has 16 road projects listed in the Responsibilities Matrix. Of these, eleven are city projects and five are state government projects. Project delays and problems with land expropriations are causing repeated postponements in the commencement of works, which may extend up to the period of the World Cup.
Porto Alegre
Out of the Confederations Cup, Porto Alegre has slow down the public transport projects. Out of ten urban mobility works listed in the "World Cup package", two road interventions are in progress. The three bus rapid transits (BRT) are still waiting for the bidding stage. Thus, the deadline for submission of works has been changed to December 2013.
Recife
Exception among the host cities for 2014, Recife completed the bid of its urban mobility works. However, only one project of the capital of Pernambuco had the works started, nevertheless late. The four works of the state government, including three BRT, have signed service order, but come up against the expropriation of at least 250 buildings. In total there are planned R$ 991.3 million in investments in roads and public transport by 2013.
Rio de Janeiro
Of the four major projects planned in the city, BRT Transcarioca remains in the new Responsibilities Matrix. The stretch will connect Barra da Tijuca to Galeão airport, and it is budgeted at R$ 1.88 billion. The start of the construction took place in March and should be completed by October 2013. Three more modal lines will be implemented by 2016, but only BRT Transoeste has works in progress. The works in Transolímpica and Transbrasil should begin. The city will also increase the metro, from southern area to Barra.
Salvador
After choosing the metro to head the Integrated Metropolitan Transportation System of the city of Salvador, Bahia state government no longer promises to deliver the equipment before the 2014 World Cup. Initially, as recorded in the Responsibilities Matrix, the proposal was to implement the BRT system, but the government managed to include the metro project in the Mobility PAC (Growth Acceleration Program), with a budget (and funding) of R$ 1.6 billion. Now, everything went back to square one.
São Paulo
The capital maintains the proposal – although still in project stage – of the monorail Congonhas-Morumbi (1st stretch) as the mobility work for the 2014 World Cup. But it also provides investments (R$ 2.5 billion) in new road works and in the modernization of train system (CPTM and metrô) to facilitate access to the region of Itaquera, where World Cup games will take place. None of the works was started, and the project of Track 17 Gold monorail was stopped December 5th by Justice of São Paulo.
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04/05 | News
