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Etcheverry presented infrastructure and transportation works for Canelones
04/22/2026
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The Minister of Transportation and Public Works (MTOP), Lucía Etcheverry, presented the Comprehensive Investment Plan in infrastructure and transportation for the economic and social development of Uruguay, with a strong impact in Canelones, during her participation in the Chamber of Commerce of Ciudad de la Costa.
The objective is to improve road infrastructure, connectivity, metropolitan transportation and passenger rail service, generating economic development and employment.
Road projects:
An important part of the 2.6 billion dollars of the ministerial plan is destined for road works in Canelones.
The Transportation chief highlighted the strategic nature of Canelones, which is crossed by key national routes and connects with other departments. In this sense, he stressed that the interventions will not be limited to large corridors (such as routes 3 and 1), but will include other important routes "that are a guarantee of bringing people closer to study centers, health, education, recreation, but also improving the competitiveness of the transfer of production."
The MTOP identified 13 strategic road interventions that include the Tala bypass on Route 7; doubling the capacity of Route 11 between the Interbalnearia Route and Route 8; works on routes 12, 62, 80, 81 and 107; improvements in the accesses to Montevideo (the interchange between routes 101 and 102), with a relevant impact on the old airport roundabout and Avenida Las Américas. Improvements are also projected on routes 36, 48, 46, 84 and Route 75 (which has become narrow).
Metropolitan Transportation:
One of the most notable axes of the presentation was the diagnosis of metropolitan public transportation. The current situation shows an urgent need for transformation, widely demanded by citizens and assumed by the government as a priority for action.
With 60% of the country's population concentrated in the metropolitan area, the ministry confirmed that public transportation has not recovered its pre-pandemic levels of use. At the same time, in Canelones there has been a significant growth in the vehicle fleet and fuel consumption, which have tripled in the last 15 years.
In response, the government promotes the creation of a Metropolitan Transportation System Agency and plans a new transportation line along Giannattasio Avenue that will link the Gold Coast with Montevideo, through feeder services with greater territorial coverage.
Railway Transport:
In the chapter on rail transport, the minister highlighted that in 2025 the system reached a historical record of 2 million tons of cargo transported, consolidating the railway as a tool of State policy.
In the near future, the MTOP is working on a roadmap, the Rail Transport Master Plan, financed by the Andean Development Bank (CAF), and is evaluating, with support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), incorporating a passenger rail service between Montevideo and Progreso, using the infrastructure of the Central Railway.
“There is a very important opportunity, especially where the Central Railway infrastructure is already located, which is the entire route axis and the towns that are there (Progreso, May 18, Las Piedras and La Paz),” said Etcheverry.
Social Agreements:
At the community level, since March 2025, 30 Canarian institutions have contacted the national Directorate of Architecture to participate in the Social Agreements program.
These agreements promote community volunteer work, seek to improve coexistence and offer opportunities to vulnerable communities, using public resources to generate work and development.
Also present at today's activity were the undersecretary of the MTOP, Claudia Peris, the national directors of Architecture and Roads, Martin Tierno and Federico Magnone, respectively; the mayor of Canelones, Francisco Legnani; the general secretary of the Municipality, Pedro Irigoin, the mayor of the City of the Coast, Julia Matilla, authorities of the departmental Board, and other national representatives.
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AUDIO LUCIA ETCHEVERRY
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Transport Passenger transport Rail transport Metropolitan transport Road transport Suburban transport Roads Road infrastructure
