In the end, the much announced tunnel under 18 de Julio came to nothing. He was not killed by the technicians, nor was a sudden austerity attack on the Broad Front. Reality killed him: the enormous cost, the destruction he was going to leave in the center and the political risk of continuing to push a white elephant that no
one really needed.Yamandú Orsi recognized it this Tuesday: the idea of a 3.2 kilometer underground, with underground stations and a price that was already around 590 million dollars, is ruled out. Now we will talk about a “surface” solution, with exclusive lanes for articulated buses, the intact bike path and some traffic light adjustments. Less pomp, less debt and, above all, fewer years of construction that would have turned Montevideo's main avenue into dusty chaos
.Because that was the tunnel from the start: an expensive and disruptive delusion. Bury the avenue so that buses gain a few minutes during rush hour, while downtown shops agonized with detours, noise, dust and bankruptcies. A project that smelled like a publicity photo and eternal debt, not like a serious mobility solution. A whim that prioritized the “modern work” show over common sense and the pocket of Montevideans
.In that fight, early and firm opposition played a key role. Retired Colonel Roque García, former Open Council, currently leader of the “Recover Montevideo” movement, within the Republican Coalition, was the first to come out publicly to denounce the absurdity, warning of waste and irreparable damage to the commercial heart
