Night Pedestrians, Restricted Transit and Commitment to Tourism: How Will the "New" Corrientes Avenue Work?

The lights of the canopies are part of a landscape where buildings, galleries, banks, shops, buses, taxis and a theatrical tradition coexist.

"We came to the conclusion that it was the best model, as was the case at La Gran Vía in Madrid, New York and London – the same thing was done. We want a program to come to Corrientes street. It's a good bet we have in Buenos Aires, "he explained. Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, Head of the Government of Buenos Aires, at a meeting attended by Carlos Rottemberg (theatrical entrepreneur), Juan José Campanella (director) and Sebastian Bultrach (President of the Argentine Association of Theater Entrepreneurs).

"Tourism has grown by 14% and is one of the industries that generates the most work. Generates work at the hotel, restaurant, taxi. And also that it is a place of attraction for the porteños ", added Rodríguez Larreta.

Beginning April 13, the central planter will divide the avenue into two and four lanes. The left will be for private vehicles, which they will not be able to circulate there 7 days out of 7, from 19 hours to 2 o'clock in the morning. At that time, they will function as a pedestrian zone.

The sidewalks were lengthened by 2.80 meters per side. The project will result in 37,200 m2 of intervention, 14,100 m2 of widened tracks, 112 luminaires, 2,722 linear meters of underground cables, 312 m2 of greenery in the main masonry and 19 loading and unloading docks.

The other two lanes reserved for groups and taxis will last 24 hours. For groups, the exclusive lanes will start in Junín. This will be used for traffic to be ordered before reaching Callao.

The first stage ended in July 2018 and included the Carlos Pellegrini-Florida stretch. The second, which will air next weekend, contemplates the last straight line between Callao and Cerrito.

"Everyone who walked in Corrientes during the 70s, 80s and 90s knows that the pedestrian avenue has been restored; It's filled with guys coming out of the theaters and the parents have to chase them off the street. In New York, they had the same problem, people had two lanes when they finished the job. This is a fundamental work, not only to attract the spectators to the theater, because the public of Buenos Aires is a theater, but also to make this mystique lost."said Rottemberg.

"We think the best thing that can happen to us is that we adapt to the use of the public space in which more and more people are traveling by public transport or on foot"said Eduardo Macchiavelli, Minister of the Environment and Public Spaces.

Regarding the private car parks of the region, it is Rodríguez Larreta himself who said: "They will continue to work and only vehicles authorized to go to private garages or with monthly payments will be allowed ".

The Saturday celebration will include musical and artistic performances that will take place at various locations in the Avenue.

Campanella exposed the work with enthusiasm and stressed the importance of the pedestrian ",many street artists can show themselves and generate a different show to what is shown in theaters. It will also stimulate this idea. "