A project that is still in the evaluation stage of the tender, where exclusive Mi Bus lanes will be built on the España road, keeps the residents of Río Abajo and Parque Lefevre on alert.
They have expressed their concern about the impact it may have on the residential and commercial areas of these districts, the safety of pedestrians and access to hospitals, schools and small businesses.
The spokesman for the merchants, the engineer Luis Ferreira, has mentioned that the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) has not made the corresponding consultations with the community and that the residents are concerned about the possible damages
“According to the authorities, the project will reduce MiBus traffic from 30 to 15 minutes within the 5.4-kilometre stretch between Cinquantenario Avenue and Vía Porras, however, the buses will circulate in the opposite direction within lanes located in the middle of the road. Vía España, interrupting access to residential areas, hospitals, schools and shops”, they detailed.
The greatest concern is found in the design of the project, where buses can be seen circulating in an inverted direction, the possible elimination of several pedestrian crossings and bus stops, thus putting the population at risk. Currently between Río Abajo and Parque Lefevre there are around 60,000 inhabitants, mainly from working and popular sectors.
The MOP has stated that the tender for the best value of the study, design, construction and financing project for the expansion of exclusive Mi Bus lanes on Via España, seeks to modernize the management of the road network in order to achieve a more efficient and increase the quality of the services offered on the country’s highways. The reference price for this project is about $80,168,741.30.
Sara Espinosa
