MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Punta del Este ready for upcoming summer season

Antía spoke about the city's new US$ 22-million video surveillance center, among othert improvements

Punta del Este Mayor Enrique Antía Friday confirmed the “bridge two” in La Barra had been reopened after intensive work for the exclusive Uruguayan beach resort to be ready for the upcoming summer season.

 It took 40 days to have the bridge refurbished to be in an optimal state, Antía pointed out, although it shall not be available to heavy vehicles such as lorries. Resistance tests were carried out and the new signs were painted following the installation of a speed and weight control system.

In his speech, Antía also highlighted Maldonado's role as “a true land of encounters” and praised the local community for the resilience shown through the COVID-19 pandemic, for which restrictions were imposed affecting the tourism sector on which Punta del Este is highly dependent.

The Mayor also spoke about the city's new video surveillance center, which cost US$ 22 million to be installed and another US$ 500,000 monthly to be jointly operational for law enforcement and firefighting brigades.

Antía also pointed out that 300 lifeguards will be on duty during the season. Last year, this type of deployment resulted in two lives saved, the Mayor recalled.

The government of Maldonado also employs over 54 SMEs for cleaning and for road safety, with investments focused on traffic circles and speed control radars.

Beach installations with constructions affecting the environment were built anew, Antía also said. “The decision was taken to dispense with public road signs to protect the environment and visual pollution,” he explained.