Transport reform advances with selection of project design firm

The Uruguayan government and the intendancies of Montevideo, Canelones, and San José are making progress on a significant metropolitan transport reform, meeting regularly through the newly established Agency of the Metropolitan Transport System. A crucial step has been taken with the selection of CSI Ingenieros to design the preliminary project for this overhaul.

CSI Ingenieros, a firm that previously contributed technical documents to the reform's early stages, was chosen for its competitive technical and economic proposal, coming in under the budgeted US$400,000. The company will now collaborate with the intendancies to finalize the reform's details. The general framework of the project involves implementing a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, featuring articulated buses with over 200-passenger capacity, dedicated lanes, and enclosed stops.

The BRT network will operate on two main corridors: Camino Maldonado-8 de Octubre and Giannattasio-Avenida Italia. These lines will converge at Tres Cruces, integrating into a multimodal station before continuing along 18 de Julio towards Ciudad Vieja. However, several aspects remain undecided. The project includes five overpasses, but the final decision on whether the BRT will be at surface level or underground at critical intersections, such as Avenida Italia and Propios, is pending. Various alternatives are also being evaluated for the Tres Cruces area, including a potential underpass connecting Urquiza street to Salvador Ferrer Serra beneath Bulevar Artigas.

Canelones has specific requirements for Avenida Giannattasio, the only main route in its department affected by the reform. The municipality requests maintaining two lanes for private vehicles alongside the dedicated BRT lanes and prioritizing auxiliary streets during construction. Further definitions are also needed regarding the operation of the Agency of the Metropolitan Transport System, created to manage public transport across the three departments.