Guaratuba Bridge: new license is issued and structure finally begins to be built at sea

The construction of the Guaratuba-Matinhos Bridge advanced to the main stage of the work this Tuesday (30) following the issuance of the Installation License by the Water and Land Institute (IAT) and a new work order. The announcement was made by Governor Carlos Massa Ratinho Junior during a visit to the construction site in Guaratuba, where he began the first activities of the drilling machine that will be used to concrete the structures that will serve as a support base for the bridge, definitively connecting the network roads in the two municipalities on the coast of Paraná.

The long-awaited work represents an investment of R$386.9 million from the State Government through the Department of Highways of Paraná (DER/PR), an agency of the State Secretariat for Infrastructure and Logistics (SEIL). With the Installation License in hand, Consórcio Nova Ponte, winner of the bidding process, now has a deadline of 24 months to complete the structure.

“This is another historic day for Guaratuba and the entire Paraná Coast with the start of work on the maritime part of the bridge, now also with the entire construction site that was installed in the last four months. This is a victory for the IAT and DER-PR technicians who worked for the viability and legal security of the project, but above all a victory for the population of Paraná who understood the need for this work and believed that it was possible despite all the conflicts that we had”, stated Ratinho Junior.

According to the governor, the new bridge, added to other investments that have been made or have already been announced by the State Government on the Coast, such as the revitalization of the Matinhos waterfront and the duplication of the state highways that connect the region to Garuva and Pontal do Paraná , should bring more socioeconomic development to the region.

“It is a project that will strengthen tourism on the coast of Paraná, which in recent years has already broken visitor records, and which is part of planning to rescue the region, benefiting the entire production chain and residents”, he added.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPECT – Work on the Coast formally began on October 27, 2023, after the issuance of the Preliminary License by the IAT. Since then, the Nova Ponte Consortium has focused on installing the industrial site to support the main work and other access points, including the manufacture of concrete artifacts.

Previously, the IAT had also authorized the isolated cutting of native and exotic trees located in a Permanent Preservation Area (APP), an intervention necessary for the installation of the construction site. The IAT’s technical opinion reinforces, however, the prohibition on cutting endangered species.

With the issuance of the Installation License by IAT, the consortium that won the bidding process carried out by the State Government is authorized to work on the actual installation of the bridge. After completion of the work, the Institute must also issue the Operating License, a step that marks authorization for the use of the new bridge.

The president of the IAT, Everton Souza, said that the analyzes carried out by a multidisciplinary team ensured that all legal aspects were considered. “The economic and social effects are clear in a large-scale project like this, but it also needs to respect the environment. Therefore, our team took care to carry out all the analysis of the documentation, in a constant exchange with DER/PR, which gave us total security to issue this license, which will certainly translate into a benefit for all people from Paraná” , he declared.

Among the conditions of the new license are the execution of all planned environmental programs, with monitoring of fauna and flora, evaluating air quality conditions and the obligation to manage waste generated in the works.

PNEXT STEPS – According to the state secretary of Infrastructure and Logistics, Sandro Alex, DER/PR technicians will closely monitor all stages of the intervention to guarantee the quality and transparency of the project. “It took months of work between DER/PR and IAT to consolidate the Installation License and now the technicians will monitor the progress of the work daily to ensure compliance with the schedule and the good use of almost R$387 million in public resources” , he assured.

The machinery brought by Consórcio Nova Ponte and the concrete that is already being produced at the construction site are now beginning to be used in the construction of the main structure of the bridge, which will be 1,244 meters long, with a span of 160 meters and a navigation channel of 17 meters high by 90 meters wide. The bridge will have four traffic lanes, two safety lanes, rigid concrete barriers, sidewalks with bike lanes and guardrails at the ends.

The total length of the road complex will total 1,826 meters, which includes 951 meters of access on the Guaratuba side and 875 meters on the Matinhos side. The project also includes local roads and a connection to Estrada de Cabaraquara, in Matinhos.

“Today we took an important step, as until now we were dealing with the construction site and today we are finally placing the first pillar in the water. We complied with everything determined by the licensing body and the Public Ministry of Paraná, so we are sure that the work will never stop”, said the CEO of DER/PR, Fernando Furiatti.

From now on, according to the CEO of DER/PR, the company must increase the number of employees working directly in the region due to the increase in activities, going from 100 to approximately 600. “This is the first stake of many which will be placed in the Guaratuba bay so that we can then have the other structures of the bridge, the paving of it and the surrounding areas on both the Matinhos and Guaratuba sides”, he commented.

ECOSYSTEM – During the preparation of environmental studies for the new Guaratuba Bridge, on the Coast, researchers have already observed that it should bring great benefits to the local marine fauna, recovering an ecosystem damaged for years by the intense traffic of ferry boats and ferries, including the return of fauna to the bay.

Once completed, the Guaratuba Bridge will replace the ferry boat crossing, which is the main source of anthropogenic noise (created by human activity) underwater in the bay, considered by scholars to be a negative and highly relevant factor in the behavior of cetaceans, group of animals formed by dolphins, porpoises and whales.

ATTENDANCE – The state secretary of Planning, Guto Silva, also participated in the announcement; state deputies Alexandre Curi and Nelson Justus; the mayors of Guaratuba, Roberto Justus, Pontal do Paraná, Rudão Gimenes, and Paranaguá, Marcelo Roque; the director of Environmental Sanitation and Water Resources at IAT, José Luiz Scroccaro; and consortium representatives.