Brazil’s Federal Revenue Service will demonstrate a voluntary new biometric system on September 30 at Friendship Bridge for pedestrians arriving from Ciudad del Este. Developed by Serpro, the system will be evaluated before any future implementation stages, Diario La Jornada reports.
Foz de Yguazú
Pytagua coverage mentioning Foz de Yguazú.
Paraguayan access roads to Puente de la Integración became 15.23% more expensive, reaching G. 926.724 billion, while the bridge over the Monday River reached 45% completion, leaving the cross-border connection between Presidente Franco and Foz de Yguazú incomplete.
Puente de la Amistad will have partial closures from 9 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday for repairs to the pavement, structure and walkways, while vehicle traffic between Ciudad del Este and Foz do Iguaçu remains open.
Brazil is negotiating with Paraguay to reduce the DTVF fee before private vehicles begin crossing the Integration Bridge on September 14, under a regime restricted to residents of four border cities.
A Brazilian couple was arrested in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, on suspicion of selling their five-month-old child for R$15,000 in Ciudad del Este; the child was found in Brazil in the care of a couple.
The drop in fuel prices in Foz do Iguaçu attracts Paraguayan drivers seeking savings, but long traffic jams on the Friendship Bridge reduce the benefit of refueling in Brazil.
Paraguay has made it mandatory to blend between 8% and 10% biodiesel into common diesel, a measure supported by the government and the biofuels sector to encourage local production, which they claim is technically safe for engines.
Brazil's Federal Revenue Service seized 3,500 vials of medication, mostly for weight loss, valued at R$ 320,000 and hidden in the doors of a car on the BR-277 highway in Paraná.
Residents of Foz do Iguaçu and Presidente Franco are complaining about noise pollution caused by powerful sound equipment on the Paraguayan side, which crosses the Paraná River and disrupts rest along the border, despite a police enforcement operation that was carried out without continuity.
The International Friendship Bridge, the main connection between Ciudad del Este (Paraguay) and Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil), will have partial traffic interruptions on the nights of June 11 and 12 for maintenance work carried out by the concessionaire EPR Iguaçu, including pavement repairs and lighting system restoration. Pedestrian access will also be restricted in the work area, but crossing will remain available on the opposite side.
Inaugurated in 1965, the main border crossing between Ciudad del Este and Foz do Iguaçu operates well beyond its original capacity, creating kilometer-long traffic jams that worsen on shopping dates and holidays. Motorcycle taxis have become an alternative for crossing the 552 meters over the Paraná River, while the full opening of the Integration Bridge is seen as an urgent solution.