Brazil has begun to undertake one of the most ambitious public works in the entire American continent: on July 1, its president Lula Da Silva, gave the starting signal for the construction of what will be the longest bridge over the sea in all of Latin America. And leaving aside the records, it will make life easier for those who travel through the Bahia region because this infrastructure will save them two hours of travel.
The bridge. Known as Salvador Bridge Road System – Itaparica Islandthis 12.4 kilometer long bridge with four lanes will link the capital of Bahia with the Baixo Sul region of Bahia through the Bay of Todos los Santos. The central section, 682 meters long, will have stays and will rise 85 meters high from the sea, which will allow the passage of large ships so as not to alter the logistics of port operations.
The system is not limited to the bridge: it includes 4.4 kilometers of new road accesses in Salvador, a 22-kilometer expressway in Itaparica that will surround the urban center of the island and the duplication of 8 kilometers of the BA-001 highway between Tairu and the Funil Bridge, according to the official project of the Government of Bahia.
Why is it important. Precisely, the authorities of the region quantify that this civil work will benefit some 10 million people who live in the nearly 250 surrounding municipalities, easing travel time by two hours. In addition, it will absorb a flow of 28,000 vehicles daily.
Several political figures in the region have spoken out explaining its relevance in economic and logistical issues. Thus, Mateus da Cunha Dias, Extraordinary Secretary of the Western Road System, stands out that the work could generate an impact on the economy of the area of 40 billion Brazilian reals (about 6,840 million euros). Governor Jerônimo Rodrigues details that goods coming from the west of the Bay will have to travel 200 kilometers less. The president of Brazil sums it up in one sentence: “Employment, income, mobility, tourism and collaboration with the private sector, with a direct benefit for the population of Bahia.”
In figures. This Brazilian mega-construction has impressive figures from the first moment:
- 12.4 kilometers long.
- Budget: 1,983.6 million euros, of which 513 million are from the federal government, 530.1 million from the Bahia government and 940.5 million from the Chinese concessionaire.
- Duration of the work: five years, with planned completion in June 2031.
- Concession of exploitation for 35 years with toll.
- The construction will generate 7,000 jobs.
In detail. The project is a public-private collaboration in which the Government of the State of Bahia and the Concessionária Ponte Salvador–Itaparica participate on the one hand and, on the other, two of the largest Chinese engineering groups in the world: China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC). He concession contract It has a duration of 35 years: one year for studies and obtaining licenses, five years for construction and 29 years for the operation of the system, which will have toll collection to guarantee maintenance and permanent operation. The first phase has already concluded and since the beginning of the month they have been in that five-year period of construction of the bridge.
The previous geotechnical studies included the drilling of 105 wells along the bridge layout, which began in shallow waters (just 10 meters in the municipality of Vera Cruz) to the central channel, where the bottom is 67 meters according to the Government of the State of Bahia. In addition, materials have been extracted from up to 200 meters deep, as the regional government explains.
Yes, but. The information provided by the authorities and interested parties offers consistent data on the size of the project and its exploitation, but no public source details with concrete figures the technical risks of the construction and its maintenance against waves and corrosion in a complex marine environment.
The president of the Chinese dealership himself yes he recognizedin the act of starting works, that the project faces “world-class maritime engineering technical challenges”, citing the medium and long period waves and the geological complexity of the seabed, but without providing the technical study that supports this risk assessment. On the other hand, there are no figures on the exact value of the toll that those who use the infrastructure will pay, a key fact to evaluate the profitability of the project.
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Cover | Government of the State of Bahia and Gemini
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