Public Construction Works from the 2014 World Cup Are Still Unfinished in Eight Capital Cities

06/14/2018 - 12h34

While Brazil gets ready to root for the national team during the World Cup in Russia, public construction works public transportation projects projected for the 2014 World Cup are still underway in eight capitals.

In the Cities of Cuiabá and Fortaleza, VLT (light rail) lines projected for the 2014 competition haven't been concluded. In Brasília, where a VLT line was to have connected the airport to the Plano Piloto, the project never even left the drawing board and was replaced by BRT (bus lines) projects which are being gradually implanted.

In the State of Mato Grosso, the 23 km trajectory where the VLT was supposed to have been constructed has been abandoned. Nearly R$1.1 billion (US$ 296 million) has already been spent on the project. The project was canceled after the Federal Police revealed indications of irregularities.

	Lucas Ninno/Folhapress
	VLT (light rail) lines projected for the 2014 competition haven't been concluded in Várzea Grande

In the City of Recife, stretches of the Ramal da Copa highway complex linking the Camaragibe highway with the Integrated Terminal for two BRT lines are under construction. In the North-South Corridor, which is scheduled for completion in 2019, 2 out of 28 stations have yet to be finished. In the East-West Corridor, 6 out of 22 are still unfinished.

In the City of Porto Alegre, viaducts for Ceará Avenue and Anita Garibaldi street have yet to be completed. The Mayor's Office blames the delays on the ongoing financial crisis.

In the City of Belo Horizonte, the construction of Expressway 710 is expected to be concluded in 2019. In the City of Natal, the access expressway to the Governor Aluízio Alves Airport hasn't been finished. In the other capitals, primary transportation public-works projects have been delivered but not all of them have turned out as they were envisioned and planned.

In the City of Salvador, a metro line connecting the center of the city to the airport which was inaugurated in April is only being delivered in time for the 2018 World Cup.

In the City of Manaus, the original plan to construct a monorail and a BRT was modified. City Hall created a system of bus corridors which are hardly respected by motorists. In the City of São Paulo, the Line 17-Gold monorail was withdrawn from the matrix of responsibilities after Itaquerão was chosen as the World Cup stadium.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

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