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Montevideo to repair all sidewalks, pass costs to residents
🇺🇾 Uruguay /Energy & Infrastructure

Montevideo to repair all sidewalks, pass costs to residents

From El País · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • Montevideo's mayor announced a plan to repair and build sidewalks, shifting costs to residents.
  • The plan aims to address the 50% of city sidewalks needing repair, with the municipality executing the work.
  • Critics argue the plan imposes a double financial burden on residents already paying city taxes.

Montevideo Mayor Mario Bergara has unveiled the "Plan Veredas," a new initiative to tackle the city's deteriorating sidewalks. Under current departmental law, residents are responsible for the cost and construction of their sidewalks, a system Bergara admits has failed to adequately address the issue.

the obligation of the neighbors to do and finance the sidewalk, although he warned that the mechanism applied until now clearly has not resolved the issue.

— Mario BergaraThe mayor of Montevideo, Mario Bergara, stated the current departmental law and its application regarding sidewalk maintenance.

The "Plan Veredas" proposes that the Montevideo Intendancy will now execute the sidewalk repairs and construction. The plan, detailed street by street across the city's eight municipalities, will be financed long-term, with the cost eventually passed on to the responsible property owners. "We can transfer this long-term financing to the neighbor who is responsible for paying for the sidewalk," Bergara stated.

What we propose with the Plan Veredas is that the intendancy goes out and does the sidewalks.

— Mario BergaraThe mayor explained the core of the new 'Plan Veredas' initiative.

However, the plan includes provisions for low-income areas and informal settlements. In neighborhoods where families cannot afford the costs, the works will be treated as a "social policy" and residents will not be charged. The Intendancy aims to secure $65 million for the initial investment, which will be sought outside the regular budget and requires special approval from the Departmental Board.

This financing can be transferred long-term to the neighbor who is responsible for paying for the sidewalk.

— Mario BergaraThe mayor detailed how the long-term financing of the sidewalk works would be handled.

The National Party has criticized the plan, viewing it as a "double burden" for residents. They argue that Montevideans already finance city maintenance through various taxes and fees, and this new plan represents an additional, specific charge for essential infrastructure like safe sidewalks. The director of Public Spaces, Marcelo Roux, indicated that approximately 25% of Montevideo's sidewalks require attention, and the plan aims to address half of those problematic areas.

as a social policy

— Mario BergaraThe mayor clarified how sidewalk repairs would be handled in low-income areas.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El País in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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