Portuguese group Mota-Engil has won the auction and will be responsible for the construction; Project should generate five thousand direct jobs and ‘completely change urban mobility in Baixada Santista’, according to Silvio Costa Filho
The Minister of Ports and Airports, He said that the construction works of the tunnel that will connect the coastal cities of Santos and Guarujá should be started later this year. . According to the minister, who participated in the auction at the São Paulo Stock Exchange (B3), the work should generate five thousand direct jobs and “completely change the radiograph of urban mobility in Baixada Santista”. “As you know, today the citizen, to leave Santos and go to Guarujá, takes between 45 minutes to 1h15 on average. And now, with the tunnel ready, it will take between 3 or 5 minutes to make this route. This will expand the logistics of operations, will strengthen business tourism and leisure tourism,” said the minister.
Costa Filho said that the federal government has also dialogued with the São Paulo government to soon hold another auction for works on the coast of São Paulo: from the port of São Sebastião. The forecast, according to the minister, is that it will take place in the first quarter of 2026. During the auction, authorities of the Federal and Paulista governments highlighted the partnership for the construction of the tunnel, which will have public contribution divided among the federative entities. However, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin criticized the São Paulo government proposal to privatize the port of Santos.
“We are only here because Porto [de Santos] It was not privatized, because it was in the privatization program. But what is enabling [essa obra do túnel] It is the port authority, which is enabling the very important execution of this work with the participation by public-private partnership, ”said Alckmin. The port authority is a public agency, responsible for the management, administration and supervision of a port and its operations.
Minister Márcio França, entrepreneurship, microenterprise and the small business, explained that the funds will come from the port authority itself, not the Union. Tarcísio de Freitas said, without responding to criticism, that political issues should be set aside, in favor of the “interests of the citizen”. “I think we are giving an example. I think we have to celebrate even today what is happening,” he said, adding that the tunnel construction project had been studying for over 100 years.
Known for always beating the hammer very hard during the auctions at B3, Tarcisio repeated the gesture in the event that occurred today. When he went to hit the hammer, Alckmin made a joke and said he wouldn’t do the same way as the governor. “I, as I am anesthetist, the hand has to be careful, it cannot be in strength,” he joked, pulling laughter from the gifts.
Protest of residents
During the event, residents of a Santos community made a protest outside and said they were concerned about possible expropriations for building the tunnel. On the subject, Governor Tarcisio said the government has maintained dialogue with residents who will be affected by the work. “Residents will not be abandoned,” he said, noting that the contract provides for housing options for affected. “No one will have a worse house, there will only be an equal home, better, in the same city, this is guaranteed.”
*With information from Agência Brasil
