São Paulo legislature shows support for upcoming Santos-Guarujá tunnel

At the Launch of the Parliamentary Front for the Santos-Guarujá Connection (FPLS) on Tuesday morning (12/12) at the São Paulo State Legislative Assembly (Alesp), the President of the Santos Port Authority, Anderson Pomini, presented the tunnel’s project timeline, with the bidding process expected to commence in 2024, construction beginning in 2025, and completion between 2028/2029. The estimated investment is R$ 5.4 billion.

All the lawmakers attending the event supported the tunnel project, regardless of their party’s ideological stance. Representative Luiz Teixeira (PT-Workers Party) shook hands with Representative Tomé Abduch (PL- Liberal Party) and exclaimed, “Left and right together in support of the Santos-Guarujá tunnel, a project for the good of São Paulo and Brazil.”

Pomini praised the willingness of the State Government to participate in the tunnel’s construction and also requested a new access route from the continent to the coast, as the Anchieta Road, inaugurated in 1947, remains the only route that can accommodate trucks, which constitute nearly 70% of the cargo freight to the Port of Santos.

In 1947, the Port of Santos had a throughput of 4 million tonnes/year. Today, the port handles 164 million tonnes/year. The only way for trucks to go down the mountain range and reach the coast is the right lane of Anchieta. “A new lane is urgently needed. The Anchieta Road is definitively saturated for trucks,” said the President of APS.

The event, led by Representative Tomé Abduch, was attended by state representatives Caio França, Luiz Fernando Teixeira, Ricardo Madalena, Tenente Coimbra, Edna Macedo, Tenente Nascimento, Paulo Correa, Paulo Mansur, the Secretary of Partnerships and Investments of the State of São Paulo, André Isper, municipal secretaries of Guarujá, among other authorities.

Still at Alesp, President Pomini also spoke about the Valongo Park, investments in urban upkeep, the Port-City relationship, dredging, ring road lanes, port activity expansion, and the relocation of families living in stilt houses on the left bank to housing complexes. Anderson Pomini outlined the benefits of the tunnel, including reduced environmental pollution, increased safety for the 80,000 people crossing the port canal daily, and improved port operations performance, among others.

Sharing is caring!