Construction work has commenced for the 12.4km bridge planned to connect Itaparica Island with mainland Brazil. Costing over $2.2 billion, the new bridge will replace the ageing ferry service and provide a quicker and more reliable connection to the island, helping boost tourism. Spanning the Bay of All Saints, the new bridge will reduce journey times considerably and provide a major economic boost to the area.
The project is being carried out as a PPP with the concessionaire providing around half of the funding. Around 25% of the funding will be provided by Bahia State and around 25% will be provided by Brazil’s Federal Government.
The concessionaire comprises China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC). The Chinese consortium is carrying out the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the bridge under its concession package. Although located in Brazil, the project forms part of the Chinese Government’s Belt and Road infrastructure development programme.
The bridge will features a cable-stayed design and will be the longest sea crossing in Latin America, as well as being the second longest bridge for Brazil. A consortium comprising Maia Melo and SYSTRA Brazil is handling project management and supervising and reviewing the detailed design being carried out jointly by Concremat and Sener for the Chinese concessionaire consortium. The design will be innovative and the bridge will feature a 12km cable-stayed section with what are likely to be the deepest piled foundations ever driven.
The 35 year concession package includes a five year construction schedule and 30 year operation and maintenance phase. In addition to the bridge itself, the project includes building access roads on Itaparica Island and a tunnel section in Salvador. The Bridge will provide a shorter and faster connection between Salvador and the BR-101, BR-116 and BR-242, cutting the travel distance by around 100km. The route is expected to carry 28,000 vehicles/day.
The bridge design was a runner-up in the bridge & tunnel category for the 2025 Bentley Systems annual awards. The cost of the project has climbed considerably since its original conception, a cause for consternation by some critics. Concern has also been expressed by some local groups over the potential environmental risks of the construction project.
