Brazil to Kick Off Santos–Guarujá Tunnel Works by February as Lula and Tarcísio Join Launch

The signing of the concession contract for the Santos–Guarujá immersed tunnel with Mota-Engil Latam Portugal S.A., the winner of the auction, as well as the symbolic installation of the construction site, will take place between January 28 and February 10 of next year. The forecast was revealed this Friday (12) by the president of the Santos Port Authority (APS), Anderson Pomini.

Following the normal procedure, the contract was scheduled to be signed on January 8, but the company requested a 20-day extension due to bureaucratic (documentation) issues, moving the date to the 28th. However, the date may be postponed by a few more days to accommodate the schedules of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Governor Tarcísio de Freitas.

“It is to align with the anniversary of the Port of Santos (February 2) and the president’s schedule. He (Lula) is reviewing this together with the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, as well as the governor’s schedule. It is important for all of them to be present at this event, which is historic and symbolic for all of us,” Pomini said.

On the same date, 50 houses will be delivered in Parque da Montanha, in Vila Edna, Guarujá, to residents of Prainha, the area affected by the tunnel works.

Construction site

The main construction site, where the so-called dry dock will be built — the location where the concrete tunnel modules to be immersed will be constructed — will be located in the Prainha area in Vicente de Carvalho, toward the area known as Linhão, in Guarujá. In the Linhão region, the construction of the tunnel’s Guarujá portal and the relocation of access roads will also take place. The site lies between Prainha and Praça 14 Bis.

Although the company has some flexibility to choose other locations, according to Pomini, this area was the most suitable in an initial assessment. The APS president argues that the region is already vacant, belongs to the Port, and is close to the navigation channel.

“There is Santos Brasil there, and next to it we have Prainha, with those irregular houses on stilts. Then comes the area known as Linhão. The construction site will be set up there, below Linhão. But the projected construction of the dry dock extends exactly over Prainha, where the families live today.”

For this reason, he said, relocating the families from the area is essential so the site can accommodate the construction of the modules, which will be completed and then await installation on the seabed.

Source: A Tribuna

Sharing is caring!