The long-awaited third lane of the Rodovia dos Imigrantes, connecting the Plateau to the Baixada Santista, is expected to be delivered in 2031. However, the concessionaire Ecovias Imigrantes, responsible for the project, is relying on the commitment of the São Paulo State Environmental Company (Cetesb) to accelerate the environmental licensing process and possibly shorten that timeline. This was stated by Ronald Marangon, managing director of Ecovias Imigrantes.
He spoke this Thursday (10th) at the 1st Santos Grain Day, an event organized in partnership between the Santos Commercial Association (ACS) and the National Association of Cereal Exporters (Anec), held at the ACS auditorium.
“We have full support from the State Government. In such an important project, we rely heavily on the commitment of Cetesb, with its entire board and technical team, to complete the process in the shortest time possible. So, we are working with all parties to achieve this goal,” he said.
He noted that the so-called functional project of the work has already been submitted to the State Government. “Now, we are in the detailing phase, which we call the basic and executive project, including construction methodology, geology, geotechnics, and road geometry. In short, the technologies that should be employed to deliver this project by 2026. At the same time, we are working with Cetesb on the environmental licensing process,” Marangon added.
Given the increasing cargo flow at the Port that occurs annually, there is a risk that the lane may be insufficient even before its inauguration. However, the Ecovias director pointed out that a complex project like the third lane requires special care, from conception to execution. “This is a project that must be developed carefully, with the best engineering possible, and that takes time. The timeframes used to develop this project by Ecovias are still significantly shorter than what is usually done,” he highlighted.
Purpose
According to Marangon, this is a project “designed for commercial vehicle and bus traffic,” providing another option for trucks to descend the mountain.
With 21.5 kilometers in length, the future lane will be primarily composed of tunnels totaling 17 kilometers (80% of the entire route), in addition to 4 kilometers of viaducts. One of the tunnels will be approximately six kilometers long, making it the largest structure of its kind in Brazil.
“We are in the middle of a tropical forest. So, we want a project that causes the least possible environmental impact. For that, the use of tunnels is extremely important, because it reduces deforestation in the mountain section,” added the director.
He also highlighted the integration with the current Anchieta-Imigrantes System. “When we think of the system, we think of operations, of actually using it as a unified system. It allows for increased traffic capacity in either direction depending on demand.”
The new lane will begin at kilometer 43 of Rodovia dos Imigrantes (SP-160), allowing access from the Mario Covas Beltway (SP-021). In the lowlands, the connection will be at kilometer 265 of Rodovia Cônego Domênico Rangoni (SP-055), near the Cubatão Industrial Hub.
The average incline will be 4%, allowing for the safe passage of heavy vehicles. Parallel emergency tunnels are also planned.
“This lane will be practically equidistant from the Right and Left Banks of the Port, enabling balanced traffic distribution on the lowland highways.”
Soybeans
Soybeans will remain one of Brazil’s main export commodities, according to André Pessoa, president of the consultancy Agroconsult. Responsible for the Rally da Safra, a project that monitors soybean and corn crops in more than 32,000 fields from January to June, Pessoa said that although a large portion of the soybean crop has already been harvested, some areas will be harvested later. The total crop is estimated at 172.1 million tons.
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