Petrobras to Fund R$15 Million Upgrade to Cristo Redentor Access

Overview

• A cooperation pact signed Wednesday between Petrobras and ICMBio commits R$15 million to replace the monument’s four escalators and install two inclined elevators to expand access for people with disabilities and reduced mobility.
• ICMBio says escalator operation will stop on August 3, dismantling will begin August 17, and the work is scheduled to finish in May 2027 while the site stays open under a revised circulation plan.
• The park will remain accessible but with a lower simultaneous capacity, longer queues, partial area closures, suspended external events at Alto Corcovado, and operational details still being finalized by ICMBio.
• To keep access for people with reduced mobility during the works, ICMBio bought five climbing chairs and five automated climber vehicles to be operated by Trem do Corcovado teams, Mitra staff and environmental agents, and these devices will stay available after the project ends.
• Separately, ICMBio and the Prefeitura do Rio signed a five‑year technical cooperation covering at least 19 municipal bodies to coordinate conservation, cleaning, security, traffic and visitor management without direct financial transfers between the agencies.