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City Hall begins renovation of the Rebouças, Zuzu Angel and Acústico Rafael Mascarenhas tunnels
Published on 03/06/2022 - 13:43 | Updated on 04/06/2022 - 18:40
Work on the Rebouças Tunnel will combat damage caused by pollution and infiltration in the vaults - Beth Santos/City of Rio Rio de Janeiro City Hall began structural and renovation work on three important tunnels in the city this Friday (June 3): Rebouças, Zuzu Angel and Acústico Rafael Mascarenhas. The work will improve the quality of these important traffic routes and provide greater comfort and safety for those who use them. Around 6 vehicles pass through these three tunnels every day.
– These works are part of a program to restore the city’s tunnels. The Noel Rosa Tunnel, for example, which looked more like a cave, has already changed its appearance. It has been abandoned for a long time and now they will follow a pattern already used in other new tunnels, such as the Marcello Alencar. We have brought in modernization techniques, and will improve the signage, monitoring, and flooring. These are very old tunnels – said Mayor Eduardo Paes, who also highlighted the intensive conservation work carried out by the City Hall in the city.
The works on Rebouças, a road that connects the northern and southern areas of the city, will cost R$57,6 million and will last for 18 months. The interventions on the Zuzu Angel and Acústico Rafael Mascarenhas tunnels, which connect Gávea to the São Conrado neighborhood, will last one year and cost R$27,2 million. The interventions will be carried out mainly at night (22 pm to 5 am), from Sunday to Thursday.
The main focus of action in the Rebouças Tunnel will be combating damage caused by pollution and infiltration in the vaults, which will receive a new drainage and waterproofing system. The Municipal Infrastructure Department will cover the side walls of the Rio Comprido-Cosme Velho gallery with light-colored concrete slabs, coated with a film that makes vandalism difficult. The material is similar to that used in other tunnels in the city. The project also includes resurfacing of the roads, as well as cleaning and painting services, unblocking of water channels and installation of new traffic signs. The Zuzu Angel and Acústico tunnels will receive the same care.
– We are already carrying out the recovery work on the Noel Rosa Tunnel and now we will do similar work on these three tunnels. We will carry out a complete structural recovery of them – stated the Secretary of Infrastructure, Jessick Trairi.
CET-Rio sets up special traffic plan for construction work
The Rebouças Tunnel will be closed in the direction of Lagoa from Sunday to Thursday, from 22 pm to 5 am. In this first stage, the closures are scheduled to occur until December 19. To minimize the impacts of the intervention and to make a detour viable, vehicles traveling from Rio Comprido towards Lagoa must follow the reversible lane that will be set up in the gallery in the opposite direction.
To enable routine maintenance in the Rebouças galleries, in the opposite direction, on 14/6, 28/6, 12/7, 26/7, 9/8, 23/8, 13/9, 27/9, 11/10, 25/10, 8/11, 22/11 and 6/12, Tuesdays, the tunnel will be closed only in the direction of the Center.
– Rebouças is the city’s main tunnel. That’s why we’re planning the interventions at night. When we have a big game at Maracanã, we’ll delay the start of the closure a little to allow fans to leave – explained CET-Rio president Joaquim Dinis.
The Zuzu Angel and Acústico Rafael Mascarenhas tunnels will be closed for the first stage of the work, in the direction of Gávea, from Sunday to Thursday, from 22 pm to 5 am, until July 28. Traffic will be diverted to Avenida Niemeyer, which will operate in two directions.
To enable routine maintenance of the Zuzu Angel and Acústico Rafael Mascarenhas tunnels, the closure will be in the opposite direction (São Conrado) on 15/6, 29/6, 13/7 and 27/7, always on Wednesdays, from 23:50 pm to 4:30 am. On these days, the closure in the direction of Gávea will be suspended.
Specific signage will be installed to guide and alert drivers, and traffic conditions will be monitored for possible impacts.
Luz Maravilha modernized the lighting of the three galleries
The first phase of revitalization of the Rebouças, Zuzu Angel and Acústico tunnels began in October 2021, with the modernization of the road lighting through the Luz Maravilha program.
In total, 1.300 LED projectors were installed at Zuzu Angel and Rafael Mascarenhas. An important feature of the project is the arrangement of the lamps, with three rows of lights at the entrance, which become one as the tunnel progresses. The measure is designed to reduce the impact of daytime light more efficiently, and the approximately 73 drivers who travel through the tunnel complex daily do not feel a sudden difference between the inside and outside of the galleries.
In Rebouças, the Luz Maravilha program replaced the old sodium vapor light points with 2.704 new LED lights. At 2.800 meters long, the tunnel became brighter.
Noel Rosa Tunnel works are on schedule
After having their lighting system completely modernized with the installation of 863 LED projectors and the adoption of anti-theft measures, the two galleries that connect the neighborhoods of Grande Tijuca to the North Zone of the city have been receiving revitalization services since the beginning of April.
The Noel Rosa Tunnel was hydraulically cleaned and its water channels were cleared. Last week, teams from the Infrastructure Department, who are working on site, began the operation to resurface the walls by installing 12-millimeter-thick cement slabs. The 12-month project also includes repairing the expansion joints in the lanes and pavement, as well as installing new traffic signs, painting and general cleaning.
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