Minister Unveils Upcoming Announcement on Joint Tunnel Project by Federal and State Governments in December

In a meeting with the President of the Port Authority of Santos (APS), Anderson Pomini, in Brasília, on Tuesday, November 7th, the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, declared that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is set to announce, in early December, alongside São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, the construction of the Santos-Guarujá tunnel. The project will be a joint effort between the federal and state governments.

“As soon as he returns from COP 28 (the climate conference in Dubai) in December, President Lula will announce, in São Paulo, together with Governor Tarcísio, the tunnel works. These discussions have been ongoing for 100 years, and they will finally materialize,” stated the minister. He further noted that the Federal Government, in collaboration with the APS, will provide R$3 billion, and the State Government will contribute an additional R$3 billion, making up the total project cost of R$6 billion.

Silvio Costa Filho highlighted that this joint venture will encompass urban redevelopment, the relocation of families living in stilt houses, and access improvements, both on the Santos and Guarujá sides. The minister authorized Anderson Pomini to conduct public hearings, building upon the 16 meetings held so far by the Tunnel Committee, which includes representatives from various organizations, municipalities, and the regional and port communities. The minister expects APS to issue the tender in 2024 and provide the order to commence the project at the end of the same year or the beginning of 2025.

Following the minister’s remarks, the President of APS, Anderson Pomini, pointed out that Phase 1, focused on convincing authorities and the political world about the tunnel’s necessity, has been completed. “We now enter Phase 2, the document phase, which includes defining the technical cooperation format with the State Government, PPP modeling, obtaining environmental licenses, conducting public hearings, and publishing the tender. I estimate that this phase will take around eight months,” he stated.

The APS President announced that a meeting with the State Government will be held next week to formalize the technical cooperation agreement. This will conclude with the document being jointly signed by the minister, the São Paulo Governor, and the APS.

The statements made by the minister and the APS President were observed by members of the Tunnel Committee in a virtual meeting. The technicians and community representatives emphasized the importance of the consensus-driven tunnel layout, established after 16 meetings, which eliminates expropriations on the Santos side and integrates the roadways of Guarujá into the land-based connection.

The layout encompasses urban improvement projects and port expansion in Guarujá, with an expectation that the left bank will represent an increase of more than 120 million tons of cargo movement, as highlighted by Eduardo Lustoza, APS’s Director of Business Development and Regulation.

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