Getting around a small city is best done by foot and with this in mind the government is pushing ahead with the Zape – Guia Pedestrian Walkway renovation project. Construction of the first two phases of the plan to beautify Rua da Encosta and shorten the distance between ZAPE district and Guia Hill are basically completed, with the core phase to be completed in 2016, the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau recently announced.

The Head of the Transport Planning and Development Department, Martin Kuong Vai Cheok, believes that the whole project will improve the pedestrian system of Macau, which in turn will encourage green travel. In addition, following the full completion of the project, pedestrians will no longer have to detour between ZAPE-Guia, thus reducing the time by 10 minutes.

The first phase of construction - already in use - includes a new turret with both stairs and lifts between the Pátio do Túnel, a junction with Avenida do Dr. Rodrigo Rodrigues, and Estrada de S. Francisco, which is on the hillside. The total construction area occupies about 6,500 square metres.

The second phase of the project includes a green park of 1,200 square metres as well as a 6-storey high and 30-metre long pedestrian bridge, connecting to a 500-square metre park. Meanwhile, the third part of the project, seen as the core phase, calls for the creation of two new tunnels for pedestrians to Guia Hill Trail and Calçada da Vitória, respectively. The tender for the construction will be opened shortly, the head of the Infrastructure Department of the Bureau, Kuok Chi Cheong, said.