Contract for Santos–Guarujá tunnel construction expected to be signed by January

Representatives from Mota-Engil, the company that won the September auction to build the Santos–Guarujá immersed tunnel, believe that construction will begin between the end of next year and early 2027.
The estimate was shared during a meeting with regional authorities last week. According to them, the contract with the State Government should be signed between December 15 of this year and January 15, 2026, according to information obtained by A Tribuna.

The State and Federal Governments had originally expected the contract to be signed this year, with construction starting in early 2026.

In a statement, the State Government, through the Secretariat for Partnerships and Investments (SPI), said that the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) process for the Santos–Guarujá tunnel “remains on schedule.”

According to the SPI, the appeal phase ended without any challenges being filed, and the process is moving forward to homologation and adjudication — “the stage in which the government officially confirms the winning company and authorizes the contract signing.”

The State added that it maintains ongoing dialogue with the entities involved “to ensure transparency and predictability at every stage of the project.”

Meeting

In a statement, the Santos Port Authority (APS) explained that last Thursday, it provided space at its headquarters for Mota-Engil to present the project to stakeholders. “The APS offered a room to the construction company to facilitate information exchange with the Permanent Regional Committee for Environmental Impact Monitoring, established by the Port Authority.”

The meeting included representatives from the future concessionaire, APS president Anderson Pomini, and the mayors of Guarujá, Farid Madi (Podemos), and Santos, Rogério Santos (Republicanos). No representatives from the State Government attended.

SPI and the São Paulo State Transport Regulatory Agency (Artesp) are the two state agencies directly responsible for managing the project and the bidding process for the Santos–Guarujá dry crossing.

Local labor

The Guarujá City Hall stated that during the meeting, Mayor Farid Madi requested that the company prioritize hiring local workers for the tunnel construction and offer training courses to prepare local labor for the project.

The mayor confirmed that the construction site will be located in the Vicente de Carvalho district of Guarujá, though the exact location has not yet been defined. “The final decision will be made after the contract is signed with Mota-Engil,” he said. “We’re closely monitoring the project to mitigate structural and social impacts that may arise during its execution,” Madi added.

The Guarujá administration also reported that “the municipalities of Guarujá and Santos, along with APS, received Mota-Engil’s commitment to share information, ensuring attention to timelines and measures concerning the construction site, geological impact, and local socioeconomic development.”

The Santos City Hall stated that it reiterated to Mota-Engil the importance of hiring and training local labor for the tunnel project and of defining a route that minimizes disruption to nearby neighborhoods, both in terms of expropriations and truck traffic during construction.

“The administration also requested that the company propose and implement solutions to mitigate the increase in traffic heading toward the tunnel access area, preserving environmental quality and residents’ well-being,” the statement read.

Mota-Engil told A Tribuna that details about the project will be disclosed only after the contract is signed.

Dry dock

In September, APS president Anderson Pomini noted that a port-owned area beneath the power lines in Vicente de Carvalho would be ideal for the construction of the dry dock. “That’s what the studies indicate, but the concessionaire will have the final say. It may suggest another location, provided it remains within the approved budget,” he said at the time.

The Santos–Guarujá tunnel project is valued at R$6.8 billion, with R$5.14 billion to be equally funded by the Federal and São Paulo State governments.

Mota-Engil won the auction on September 5 at the São Paulo Stock Exchange (B3) by offering a 0.5% discount on the maximum public compensation value of R$438.4 million per month.
The contract for construction, operation, and management will have a 30-year term.

Source: A Tribuna

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