Ministry of Ports and Airports valued the work at R$6 billion, half of which went to the federal government and half to the São Paulo government
This Monday (Dec 30, 2024) he sent the construction project for the Santos-Guarujá tunnel – a project that will connect the two cities through a submerged terrestrial gallery – for analysis by the (Federal Audit Court). It is the first project of its kind in Latin America.
The ministry’s study estimated the work at R$6 billion. How the Poder360the project costs will be divided equally between the federal government and the government of the State of São Paulo.
The Santos-Guarujá tunnel is the largest project in the New PAC (Growth Acceleration Program) portfolio. The government’s expectation is that the works will begin in 2025. The study sent by the Ministry of Ports and Airports was also approved by the (National Waterway Transport Agency).
The agreement reached between the president (PT) and the governor of São Paulo, (Republicans), provides that the costs for financing the work will be shared and that a tender will subsequently take place to grant the administration and maintenance of the tunnel to a private company. The auction to choose the company should take place in the 1st quarter of 2025.
The project also includes the concession for dredging access for ships to the Port of Santos and urban mobility works around the tunnel. The underwater project will be 21 meters deep and 860 meters long between the banks of the canal that separates the two cities.
“This work is essential to help with urban mobility and the quality of life in Baixada Santista and, mainly, it will help with the flow of production from the Port of Santos, in the sense of contributing to the segregation of port and urban traffic”declared the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho.
The underwater tunnel has been awaited by local populations for decades. The Port of Santos canal divides the two cities and by road, the path taken by trucks carrying cargo from the port is along a 43-kilometer stretch.
There is also a ferry that transports vehicles across the canal, but the operation depends on the flow of ships and causes congestion.
With the tunnel, the route will be shortened to around 1.7 kilometers, of which 860 meters will be below sea level.
