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Governor Mateus Simões stated that the Rodoanel remains a priority, but said that the State does not intend to leave about R$ 5 billion idle while the project remains stalled in court. If the judgment does not progress or is unfavorable, the government wants to transfer the funds to new metro lines connecting Contagem and Betim to central points of Belo Horizonte.
The Rodoanel of the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte may lose the approximately R$ 5 billion reserved for its construction if the project continues stalled in Federal Court. The governor of Minas Gerais, Mateus Simões (PSD), stated this Friday (3) that the resources could be redirected to metro expansion.
Government says it maintains support for the project
Simões stated that the State still considers the Rodoanel as the priority destination for the money, as it was the previously chosen project. At the same time, he said there is an understanding that the funds should not remain idle for longer.
The legal process involving the project, according to the governor, is already ready for judgment. The government’s expectation is that there will be a decision in the coming weeks, either to allow construction or to confirm the project’s inability to advance at this time.
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Metro emerges as an alternative
While trying to unlock the Rodoanel, the Minas government is also working on studies to expand the metro network. Representatives from the Inter-American Development Bank were in Minas last week to conduct economic feasibility analyses.
The future lines 3 and 4 of the metro are expected to connect Contagem and Betim to Praça da Estação and Savassi. If the Federal Court does not judge the process in the coming weeks, or if the decision is unfavorable to the road project, the State intends to work to transfer the resource.
Simões stated that if the change of destination for the R$ 5 billion is not possible, the government will continue seeking other sources of funding for the metro expansion.
Impasse involves mobility and safety
Defending the urgency of a solution, the governor criticized the paralysis of resources and associated the debate with the situation of the Anel Rodoviário of Belo Horizonte, where, according to him, deaths occur every year and require a response from the public authorities.
