Workers take a break to pose while knee-deep in cement on Bolívar and Alsina streets. The work is part of a ‘pedestrian priority’ project in the Monserrat neighborhood of the city, near the Casa Rosada.
When complete, the asphalt will be replaced with classic Buenos Aires cobblestone lined with turrets separating the roadway from the sidewalk.
The project,approved in 2012, had a projected cost of AR$11,224,975.27. The workers, all foreigners from the bordering countries of Bolivia and Paraguay, earn AR$30 (US$3.75) per hour before taxes. The majority of workers are recent immigrants who live in villas, precariously constructed slum areas, far away from the downtown worksite.
