Brazil and Paraguay get new bridge to relieve triple border

By Luciana Maria Baude de Cristo

Wanted for four decades, an alternative way to ease heavy traffic on the border between Brazil – through the city of Foz do Iguaçu – and Paraguay – through Cidade do Leste – is now off the table.

The Integration Bridge was completed after three years of work.

The launch, however, has not yet happened, and the official inauguration, announced and canceled several times, does not have a new date to take place.

But the completion of the bridge itself is not synonymous with the completion of the work there. Recalled repeatedly by President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and the governor of Parana Ratinho Junior (PSD), the bridge began to be erected in 2019 with a major investment of R$ 702 million.

The integration bridge between Brazil and Paraguay.  (Photo reproduction online)

It is R$366 ($133) million for the bridge and another R$336 million for all the infrastructure work needed for the surrounding area. These should not be ready until at least the end of next year.

The Integration Bridge will be the second structure that will connect the two countries through Parana.

Until then, the border between Brazil and Paraguay, at the link between Foz do Iguaçu and Cidade do Leste, has happened for 57 years through the International Bridge of Friendship, where the most important daily border movement in all of Brazil is located.

Research on traffic and tourist profiles in the Triple Border region reveals that 41,200 vehicles and 82,400 people cross the Friendship Bridge every day.

Those who come and those who experience severe traffic jams, endless queues and long waits.

HOW THE WORK ON THE INTEGRATION BRIDGE EVOLVED

The foundation stone of the Brazil-Paraguay Integration Bridge was laid on May 10, 2019 in the presence of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez.

The three-year completion plan has been met and the work is complete. However, the inauguration depends on the availability and confirmation of the program of the presidents of the two countries.

If the inauguration is held this year, it should be the last major work delivered by Bolsonaro before he leaves the presidency on December 31.

The enterprise is an action of the federal government in partnership with the government of the state of Paraná and Binational Itaipu.

The Brazilian side of the hydro plant is paying for the entire structure.

“The company that built the bridge (Construbase-Cidade-Paulitec Consortium) will also carry out the Eastern Perimeter works, which are under development and include the construction of new customs and the 15 km road that will connect the new bridge with the BR-Highway 277, removing heavy traffic from the urban perimeter of Foz do Iguaçu”, informs Itaipu Binacional.

WHAT ARE THE WORKS ABOUT THE INTEGRATION BRIDGE

The Perimeter East starts at the Bridge of Integration (Brazil-Paraguay), passing through the Porto Meira neighborhood in Foz do Iguaçu until it reaches the Bridge of Brotherhood (Brazil-Argentina).

The stretch is still under construction and includes, in addition to 15 kilometers of highway, an access viaduct to the Tancredo Neves Bridge, in the connection between Brazil and Argentina, and access viaducts to Porto Iguaçu and the intersection with the Cataratas highway (BR-469), which gives access to Iguaçu Falls.

The roadway will pass through Avenida Maria Bubiak, at the height of Avenida Felipe Wandscheer.

The road crosses República Argentina Avenue, passing by the Industrial District until it reaches BR-277.

The project also includes the construction of two customs on the borders of Paraguay and Argentina.

For all this to be possible, at least 190 properties are being confiscated. The entire complementary structure is expected to be completed in 2023.

THE PROJECT PROMISES FLUIDITY AND AGILITY

The Integration Bridge will bring more traffic flow, especially for heavy vehicles that will no longer pass through the urban perimeter of Foz do Iguaçu once the East Perimeter is completed.

Currently, trucks going to Argentina, for example, compete for space with urban traffic.

Also, with the Perimeter construction works, those who will enter the Brazil-Paraguay Integration Bridge will not need to pass through the central region of the city.

The aim is to concentrate all heavy traffic flow on the Integration Bridge, but all types of vehicles will be able to pass through it.

On the other hand, the Friendship Bridge will have limited traffic for tourists and passengers.

“West Paraná is one of the largest producers of cereals in Paraná, one of the largest producers of protein in the country. We also serve as an important logistical corridor to drain crops from neighboring Paraguay.

The Integration Bridge will bring more mobility and agility and will intensify our position as an important logistics center for Latin America,” emphasizes the president of the West in Development Program (POD), industrialist Rainer Zielasko.

POD unites the entire production sector in one of the regions where 5 of Brazil’s 10 largest agricultural cooperatives are located.

“There has been talk for some time that a second bridge (between Brazil and Paraguay) could weaken Brazilian trade, but with a globalized world and the necessary connection with South American countries, the West cannot stay out of the reality that points to a successful future. connected to the world and equipped with infrastructure. Logistical and technological barriers must be broken,” he added.

INSIDE THE BRIDGE OF INTEGRATION

Built over the Parana River, in the district of Porto Meira, in Foz do Iguaçu, the new bridge is very close to the triple border (Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina). It can be seen from several points of the city.

The city of Foz do Iguaçu is located in the city of Foz do Iguaçu.

That's how it looked just a few weeks ago.  (Photo reproduction online)

The stunning construction has two monumental support towers 120 meters high that stand out in the landscape.

The bridge is 720 meters long and has a free span of 470 meters.

According to the Paraná Highways Department (DER-PR), the single lanes are 3.6 meters wide, with a 3-meter shoulder – no shoulder on the Amizade Bridge – and a 1.7-meter wide sidewalk on each side.

It was built by the Construbase – Cidade – Paulitec Consortium, the venture employed around 400 direct workers, including Brazilians and Paraguayans.

In a recent visit to the structure, the governor of Paraná stated that “The Integration Bridge is the largest free-span bridge in Brazil.

It’s a fantastic job. A success of Brazilian engineering and proves that big projects can become reality”.

What about the release in traffic?

There is still no confirmation from the authorities if the bridge will be opened for traffic once it is inaugurated.

The expectation is that with the completion of some of the infrastructure works around it, light vehicles and trucks without cargo can travel from April 2023.

Since the new customs is under construction and should only be completed at the end of next year, the customs control of the heavy vehicles that will pass through it – initially without cargo from April onwards – must be done at the customs Argentinian nearby.

It is estimated that the Integration Bridge will only be fully operational between 2024 and 2025 when all the adjacent infrastructure is ready.

“It is essential to work for the development of Foz and the entire region. It is well managed by the Paraná Government, with financial support from Binational Itaipu. The city is pleased to accept this investment and the quality of this work”, added the mayor of Foz do Iguaçu, Chico Brasileiro.

With information from Gazeta do Povo

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