Florianopolis will lose two walkways, and the mayor’s office is also considering removing a third. By June, the footpaths in front of the Rita Maria bus station, on Avenida Paulo Fontes in the center and on Avenida Professor Enrique da Silva Fontes, near the Vila Romana shopping center in Santa Monica, will be removed.

The prefecture considers the maintenance costly and intends to demolish the podiums in the capital. – Photo: Cristiano Estrela/North Dakota Special

According to the city executive committee, revitalization is expensive, and the best alternative is to strengthen existing signs for pedestrians. Another passage that may disappear in the capital is the one in front of CentroSul, on Avenida Gustavo Richard, also in the center.

The Secretariat for Transport and Infrastructure of the Capital states that in addition to the costs of revitalization, the population is prioritizing pedestrian crossings. The mall’s footbridge has been closed for over a month, and City Hall has already reinforced signage in the area.

On the Rita Maria runway, the ceiling was removed, but the structure is still in use. Full withdrawal will be completed after strengthening the sign in place.

The people heard in the report disagree with the removal. Couple Leonel dos Santos Junior and Rosmary Guerrero use the Rita Maria catwalk every day. “I think it’s wrong to remove this structure, because there is a difficult traffic for the elderly and people with disabilities. This passage here is free access for us,” they said.

The prosecutor’s office accompanies him, but the decision remains with the mayor’s office

The head of the 30th prosecutor’s office of the capital, Daniel Paladino, is monitoring the situation. He is concerned about safety. For example, the walkway in a shopping mall has problems due to lack of maintenance. The ban was even recommended by the prosecutor.

However, the decision to demolish buildings is the prerogative of the municipal authorities and the MP (Public Ministry) will not interfere. Paladino only warned that pedestrian crossings were properly painted and provided with signals.

The promoter also looks after three other podiums. According to Paladino, the footbridge in front of CentroSul is still at a dead end. “The mayor’s office has a court order to renovate it, but they said the cost would be too high and they are considering removing it. The idea is to loop [botão para indicar travessia de pedestres] and redo the sign. However, this has not yet been determined,” the promoter said.

The newly renovated CIC (Integrated Cultural Center) footbridge at Agronomika will be inspected next week as cyclists have reported opening cracks. The prosecutor’s office will check whether everything is eliminated.

Ratones footbridge with stopped works

In turn, the Ratones footbridge on SC-401 is under construction. However, work has stopped. “We made a factual report, because the contractor would have left the construction site, and there has been no movement on the site for more than three months,” Paladino explained.

The document, submitted this Monday (27), gives the Public Infrastructure Secretariat 15 days to communicate a deadline for the resumption of work.

In a note, the secretariat indicated that it had notified the company and required action to comply with the schedule. Failure to comply with the terms entails the imposition of a fine and termination of the contract. If terminated, City Hall will conduct a new bidding process.