Will Olympic Construction Finish on Time?

The short answer is yes, according to John Gregerson, Senior Editor of Builtworlds. The longer answer is that much work is still required to get the Olympic facilities ready by the August 5 opening of the games. Even with the shakey outlook Gregerson is quick to point out that: “Events of this magnitude have a knack for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, and Rio de Janiero likely will prove no exception, despite a political and economic landscape in Brazil that has changed vastly — and not for the better — since Rio was selected to host the games in 2009.”

Construction projects that are still awaiting completion include the  Rio Olympic Velodrome, a track cycling stadium that has been beset by delay after delay.  It has been among the most problematic of the Rio 2016 projects with the initial contractor declaring bankruptcy in May when the project was only 88% done.

Of larger concern is the subway the city is building to connect the city center to the Olympic park. Designed to transport attendees to the games, the subway is scheduled to open a mere 24 hours before the start of the games, and that has people worried. “They are leaving so little time to try this massive system,” said Jose Manoel Ferreira Goncalves, president of railway expert FerroFrente. “What guarantee do we have that such a sensitive and complicated project is in order?”

If you would like to read more about the problems Rio organizers face in the coming weeks, you should check out the full article here. Gregerson catalogs the full history of Rio’s mad dash to get the city ready to host the Summer Olympics.