Project Spotlight: Guadalajara's US$470mn BRT system

The Mexican city of Guadalajara in Jalisco state began works on a massive public transportation service, a 9.4bn-peso (US470mn) bus system known as Mi Macro Periférico, which is scheduled for completion in 2021.

The project involves a 60km bus rapid transit (BRT) system, the Anillo Periférico Manuel Gómez Morín. 

It will consist of 48 stations along 41.4km that cross the municipalities of Zapopan, Guadalajara, Tonalá and Tlaquepaque and enable a link between metro line No. 3 and line No. 1 of the city's light train.

When completed, the Peribús bus system will benefit about 568,000 residents of 110 boroughs by reducing traveling time on the ring road from one hour to 15 minutes.

“This project will trigger the urban transformation of Guadalajara, particularly over the [beltway] and its surrounding boroughs with the construction of inclusive and safe infrastructure for users of this road. It is not only a public transport bet, but it is also a bet on urban transformation,” governor Enrique Alfaro Ramírez said at the opening event earlier.

WORKS & INVESTMENT

Of the total investment, 6.4bn pesos were designated for construction, the governor said. About 1bn pesos of this amount were allocated by Jalisco’s credit union to restore the ring road, 773mn pesos came from development bank Banobras to build the stations, more than 1.5bn pesos were invested by the private sector to buy an unknown number of units and the remaining amount came from other state and federal entities to complete studies and permits. 

Government officials plan to build the BRT system in three stages. Work would also include replacing regular pavement with hydraulic cement on 10 stretches.

The first stage began on October 3 with restoration works on avenues Calzada del Obrero, El Bosque and Guadalupe – the first two stretches. 

The second stage is scheduled for February 2020 with works on the other three stretches that cover the avenues of Imperio, Benjamín Gutiérrez, Laureles, Santa Martha and 5 de Mayo. 

And during the final stage, scheduled for May of next year, the remaining five stretches will be completed. They cross the avenues of José Alfredo Jiménez, Belisario Dominguez, Santa Paula, Puerto Guaymas, San Antonio, Sonora, Juan de la Barrera and the highway going to Chapala in Tlaquepaque.

"The Peripheral does not lose lanes for cars, that is very important to understand, the central lanes are maintained, but not only those are maintained but two lanes are gained on the sides," the governor said.

Tenders for the project have been divided into categories like preliminary studies, drainage works, executive plans, among others, and most of them are open for bids until mid-November on government procurement site CompraNet.

BACKGROUND

A BRT system along  the Guadalajara’s beltway was proposed by at least two previous administrations from different political parties. It became a reality now partly as a result of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's promise to finance at least one high-impact infrastructure project during his six-year term in every state. 

And last month, finance minister Arturo Herrera said the government was betting on transportation infrastructure as a way to counter the global economic slowdown, even mentioning the Guadalajara BRT system.

Nevertheless, governor Alfaro Ramírez presented a 25.5bn-peso transportation plan to serve Guadalajara city during last year's presidential campaign.

Guadalajara’s beltway will be composed of Mi Macro Periférico and the existing light train and metro system, dubbed Mi tren, and another BRT system that runs straight over the ring road, named Mi Macro Calzada.

Pictured: Anillo Periférico Manuel Gómez Morín (Credit: Jalisco gov't)