São Paulo Signs PPP for Santos–Guarujá Tunnel as Port Authority Challenges Contract

Overview

• The state signed a 30-year PPP on Jan. 28 with Portugal’s Mota‑Engil to deliver Brazil’s first immersed tunnel, a roughly R$6.8–7 billion project with about R$5.1 billion in public funding from the state and federal governments.
• APS says the contract requires federal assent because the crossing affects the federally controlled Port of Santos and uses federal resources, and it cites a TCU requirement for an addendum detailing navigation and port‑operation risks.
• The state’s Secretariat of Partnerships and Investments says the contract follows the model published in the 2025 tender and that institutional issues will be addressed in the appropriate technical and administrative forums.
• The tunnel will include 870 meters of immersed sections with three lanes each way plus pedestrian and cyclist access, supported by a preliminary environmental license from Cetesb that imposes mitigation conditions.
• Next steps set 2026 for design and licensing, with works mobilizing in 2027, module production in 2028, installation in 2029, testing in 2030, and operations targeted for 2031, aiming to cut the crossing to about five minutes and generate roughly 9,000 jobs.