City government sets up special plan for the 2026 Bridge Challenge.

The Ponte Challenge, taking place this Sunday (August 2nd), will alter traffic in Rio de Janeiro and Niterói. The Rio de Janeiro City Hall has set up a special road closure scheme for the 21-kilometer race, which will be held on the Rio-Niterói Bridge. This scheme will begin to be implemented at 10 PM on Saturday (August 1st). The operation was planned to ensure the safety of the athletes and reduce the impact on mobility during the event.

During this period, some roads will be closed, especially those connecting the Rio-Niterói Bridge to the main access points to Rio de Janeiro. The athletes will start at Caminho Niemeyer, in Niterói, at 6:30 am, crossing the Rio-Niterói Bridge towards Rio de Janeiro, without a complete road closure. The finish line will be at Praça Mauá, Rio de Janeiro.

Operational planning for connections to the Rio-Niterói Bridge and the Port Region will include reinforced signage, and agents will guide pedestrians and drivers. The event is scheduled to end at 9:30 am at Praça Mauá, in the port area of ​​Rio. It is expected that traffic flow will be fully restored by 12 pm on Sunday, after the race concludes and the structure is dismantled.

CET-Rio conducts special traffic operation.

The traffic operation in Rio will involve 50 professionals, including CET-Rio agents, municipal guards, and traffic support personnel, who will work to maintain traffic flow, prevent illegal parking, manage intersections, guide pedestrians and drivers, and implement road closures during the race.

Technicians from CET-Rio, at the Operations and Resilience Center (COR-Rio), will monitor all traffic movement using cameras, allowing for adjustments to traffic light programming, if necessary, to ensure good road conditions. In addition, four variable message signs will be used to inform about traffic conditions, road closures, and detour routes.

Pedestrians should cross the street at the locations indicated by signage or by the operation's guides. Drivers are advised to pay attention to no-parking zones and to comply with the instructions of traffic officers and the signage in place. Due to road closures, it is recommended to avoid driving in the event area and prioritize using public transportation.

Sunday (02/08) – from 0pm to midnight

Access routes from the Rio-Niterói Bridge, towards Rio:

● Access to the Red Line

● Access to Bicalho Avenue

● Rodrigues Alves Avenue

● Marcello Alencar Tunnel

Detours and alternative routes

Sunday (02/08) – from 0pm to midnight

Destination: Red Line
Drivers must access Avenida Brasil (central lane, towards the West Zone), using the switch at the height of walkway 3, to then access the Red Line.

➤ Destinations: Bus Station, Downtown, Tijuca and South Zone
Use the Gasometer Overpass >> access ramp to INTO >> Via B4 (towards Praça Mauá) >> Rua Professor Arlindo Rodrigues >> Rua Equador

➤ Specific access points:

● Downtown: Via B4, Via Binário do Porto towards Praça Mauá

● Tijuca: Professor Pereira Reis Avenue >> 31 de Março Viaduct >> President Vargas Avenue

● South Zone: Professor Pereira Reis Avenue >> 31 de Março Viaduct >> Santa Bárbara Tunnel

 

Cameras from the Operations Center will monitor the area.

The Rio de Janeiro City Hall's Operations and Resilience Center (COR-Rio) will use 161 cameras around Avenida Brasil (near Caju), the Gasometer Viaduct, the Porto Expressway, the Marcello Alencar Tunnel, the Pier, and Praça Mauá to assist in monitoring the route of the 2026 Bridge Challenge.

The operation will also include two drones to monitor the blocking of important roads, vehicle movement, the movement of runners, and the work of the Rio de Janeiro City Hall teams, as well as to assist the operation in areas where there are no cameras available.

All pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the area will be monitored by approximately 100 operators on duty in the Situation Room at the COR-Rio headquarters in Cidade Nova, in front of the largest video wall in Latin America, measuring 104 square meters and composed of 125 55-inch screens. A unique layout for the screen was developed specifically for the event to facilitate the work of the operators.

The Rio de Janeiro City Hall's Operations and Resilience Center is responsible for monitoring and optimizing the city's daily operations, anticipating and managing crises in collaboration with other agencies, and providing citizens with a prompt response to incidents in the city.

COR-Rio advises residents and visitors to follow real-time information on traffic conditions, transportation status, and weather forecasts in Rio through social media (@operacoesrio), the Operations Center's WhatsApp news channel, and the COR.Rio app. In addition, digital panels distributed in street furniture, public transport, airports, commercial buildings, and shopping malls informed the public about scheduled traffic restrictions for the day of the event.

Municipal Guard is present at the event.

The Rio Municipal Guard (GM-Rio) has set up an operational plan with 60 agents to support the Ponte Race. The GM-Rio operation will have teams working from 4:00 AM at Praça XV, where athletes will embark for Niterói, and also along the arrival route to Rio. The agents' main responsibilities will be to ensure road safety, manage traffic flow, and provide support to event participants.

Street cleaning

Comlurb will be working on access roads in the surrounding area with a team of 30 sanitation workers, in addition to a water truck and a large sweeper. The event organizers will also have a company contracted for cleaning during the event.

Category:

• CET-Rio
• City
• Comlurb
• COR
• Municipal guard
• News

31 July 2026

Appointments: Street race Bridge Challenge Niteroi Rio Niteroi bridge