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Rio to reconstruct cycle path

June 15, 2016

The cycle path that collapsed after being struck by strong Atlantic waves is to reopen in time for the Olympic Games in Brazil. The costal bike route was to connect the Olympic Park with the district of Barra.

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Meldung Rio Brasilien Fahrrad Tour
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Ismar

There is hope that Rio de Janeiro this year's Olympic host can reopen the cycle path that collapsed in April, in time for the Games in August (5th – 21st). "To reopen it in time for the Olympic Games is our dream, but safety comes first," says Rio's mayor Eduardo Paes. He added "it will reopen in August - but it could be August 1st, or it might be during or even after the games."

Two people were killed when the cycle path, which had only just been completed in January and had cost some ten million dollars to construct, collapsed. Videos showed how a huge wave swept away a 50-metre stretch of the Tim Maia ciclovia, which had been heralded as a major legacy project from the 2016 Games.

The stunning elevated cycle path that runs along the coast was intended to be a big tourist draw - offering unique views of both the seashore and the city. It was to run along Avenida Oscar Niemeyer for 3.9 kilometers (2.7 miles). Rio already has 435 kilometers of cycle paths, but by the start of the Olympic Games that was to be increased to 450 kilometers.

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