Northern Section of the Rodoanel to be completed in September, expanding access to the Port of Santos

The remaining 20 kilometers of the Northern Section will cross the municipalities of São Paulo, Guarulhos and Arujá, handling a high volume of truck traffic (Via SP Serra/Disclosure)

The Northern Section of the Rodoanel Mário Covas (SP-021) is expected to be completed later this semester. The first phase was inaugurated in December last year, while the second phase, now 70% complete, is scheduled for delivery in September. Once fully operational, the Northern Section is expected to handle an average of 18,000 trucks per day, facilitating the transportation of goods, including cargo destined for the Port of Santos. Construction is being carried out by concessionaire Via SP Serra, part of Grupo Via Appia.

The Northern Section of the Rodoanel spans 44 kilometers. The first 24 kilometers were opened to traffic on December 23. The remaining 20-kilometer stretch will cross the municipalities of São Paulo, Guarulhos and Arujá.

"Construction is progressing with the implementation of the new carriageways between Rodovia Fernão Dias and Avenida Raimundo Pereira de Magalhães, in the city of São Paulo. Completion is scheduled for the second half of 2026. Once construction is finished and the necessary testing and technical approvals are completed by the Agência de Transporte do Estado de São Paulo (Artesp), the Northern Section of the Rodoanel will become fully operational", the Secretaria Estadual de Parcerias em Investimentos (SPI) said.

The SPI also reported that, after being suspended for six years, construction resumed in April 2024. Total investment amounts to approximately R\$ 3.4 billion, with R\$ 1.09 billion provided by the Governo Paulista and R\$ 2.25 billion by the concessionaire.

Trucks

According to the State Government, the Northern Section of the Rodoanel was designed to redistribute truck traffic currently using the Marginal Tietê and Marginal Pinheiros expressways, particularly vehicles arriving from Via Anhanguera and Bandeirantes highways.

The objective is to reduce travel times throughout the Região Metropolitana de São Paulo while improving access to Port of Santos, expanding logistics capacity for export cargo and reducing freight transportation costs.

The State Government also noted that the highway will strengthen logistics integration between Brazil's Southeast and Northeast regions while providing a connection to the Região Metropolitana de Campinas, with access to the northern and northwestern areas of the State. It will also connect to Avenida Raimundo Pereira de Magalhães, Rodovia Fernão Dias (providing access to Minas Gerais and the country's Central-West and Northern regions), and Rodovia Presidente Dutra (connecting to Rio de Janeiro, the northeastern region of the State, Vale do Paraíba, and Porto de São Sebastião).

The 20-kilometer extension will cross the municipalities of São Paulo, Guarulhos and Arujá (Via SP Serra/Disclosure)

Benefits

According to Mario Povia, President of the Instituto Brasileiro de Infraestrutura (IBI), "This is a project that the logistics sector in São Paulo and Brazil has been awaiting for many years. There is no doubt about the benefits it will bring to the movement of cargo destined for or originating from the ports of São Paulo — Santos and São Sebastião — while significantly easing heavy vehicle traffic in the Região Metropolitana de São Paulo."

However, Povia offered a caveat: "On the other hand, it raises concerns regarding the capacity of the Baixada Santista, particularly its ability to accommodate a greater volume of vehicles before a series of complementary infrastructure projects are completed. These include the overpasses in the Alemoa area, completion of the left-bank perimeter road serving the Port, the third descent of the Anchieta-Imigrantes system, and the fixed crossing between Santos and Guarujá."

"It will also be essential to make progress on the so-called Ferroanel, also in the Região Metropolitana de São Paulo, to achieve a better balance in the transportation matrix. Nevertheless, this does not prevent us from celebrating the important milestone represented by the completion of the Rodoanel", he concluded.

Concessionaire

In a statement, concessionaire Via SP Serra said construction remains on schedule.

"Overall project completion currently stands at 70%. Work remains focused on the construction of tunnels, viaducts and bridges, as well as rock blasting, large-scale excavation, earthworks, retaining structures, drainage systems and paving across different sections of the project."

The company explained that 13 construction fronts are operating simultaneously. According to the concessionaire, the project includes 20 kilometers of new carriageways with three to four traffic lanes, ten tunnels, 43 major engineering structures, a new Polícia Militar Rodoviária base, a second Serviço de Atendimento ao Usuário (SAU) facility, as well as "modern intelligent traffic management systems, enhancing safety, traffic flow and road capacity throughout the region."