Tunnel between Santos and Guarujá already has timeline for construction site installation

Section of the Linhão, between Prainha and Praça 14 Bis, would concentrate construction activities (Daniel Gois/AT)

The President of the Santos Port Authority (APS), Anderson Pomini, estimates that the construction site for the Santos-Guarujá immersed tunnel will be set up in the region in November. The first meeting to discuss the works is already scheduled for October 9, at the headquarters of the Port of Santos.

“The meeting was requested by the winning company to give a presentation and engage with the local community”, said Pomini. Representatives from the municipalities of Santos and Guarujá and from Mota-Engil will participate in the meeting.

The choice of the location where the concrete modules for the tunnel structure will be assembled will be one of the topics discussed. A federal area in Vicente de Carvalho is one of the possibilities. “Initially, an area belonging to the Port, located beneath the Linhão (where the power transmission lines run in Vicente de Carvalho), is being considered. Studies indicate that this would be the site for the construction of the dry dock, but the concessionaire company will have the final say. It may suggest another area, provided it remains within the budget known to all parties.”

However, for construction to officially begin, the company must sign the contract with the State Government. “The contract will be signed within 40 to 50 days, after review of the documents and guarantees to be submitted to the State Transport Agency (Artesp), which is overseeing the process in partnership with the Port of Santos and the Ministry of Ports and Airports (MPor)”, said Pomini.

“We believe that by the end of October or beginning of November, the contract will be signed. That will authorize the launch of the construction site”, reiterated the APS president.

The Santos-Guarujá tunnel is a project valued at R\$ 6.8 billion, of which R\$ 5.14 billion will be jointly funded by the Federal Government and the Government of São Paulo. Mota-Engil won the bidding for the fixed link on the 5th, at the São Paulo Stock Exchange – B3, offering a 0.5% discount on the maximum public compensation amount of R\$ 438.4 million.