Cable-stayed bridge or urban trench: what is the best solution under the optic of public management for Curitiba (Paraná, Brazil)?

Abstract

Context: The urban mobility crisis is increasingly present in the routine of large Brazilian cities, and within this theme, an ex post facto research was carried out, analyzing the work carried out on Avenida das Torres (Curitiba - PR), whose purpose was to improve traffic between the center of the capital to the airport (São Jose dos Pinhais). For this work, a cable-stayed bridge and a trench were built along the avenue, objects of analysis of the present study. Method: A comparison was made between two types of construction. Thus, the following question was guided: what would be the best cost-benefit for Public Management? Viaducts and trenches promote greater fluidity to motorized traffic in urban environments compared to cable-stayed bridges which, despite the same function, are generally used to overcome great distances, such as in rivers, which require space for vessels to pass; and can also be used in shorter spaces, greatly increasing their cost. Results: At the end of the data collection, there was a large budget disparity between the two referenced works, where the Estaiado viaduct cost almost nine times more than the trench at Rua Guabirotuba, confirming the hypothesis raised.