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International crossing built to relieve the border continues with limited use, while merchants, carriers, and authorities discuss the gradual release of traffic between Foz do Iguaçu and Presidente Franco, amidst queues, logistical delays, and demands for completion of Paraguayan accesses.
Merchants, carriers, and business entities on both sides of the border demand the expansion of the use of the Jaime Lerner Integration Bridge, the connection between Foz do Iguaçu, in Paraná, and Presidente Franco, in Paraguay, inaugurated in December 2025.
Financed by Brazil through Itaipu Binacional, the structure is part of a package of R$ 712 million, an amount that also includes the 15-kilometer East Perimeter and two new customs offices in Foz do Iguaçu.
Currently, the crossing only receives empty trucks, called ballast vehicles, between 10 PM and 5 AM, as well as tourist buses between 7 PM and 7 AM, without fully serving passenger cars, urban tourist transport, and regular cargo.
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While the new bridge remains underutilized, most of the flow between Brazil and Paraguay continues to be concentrated on the Friendship Bridge, between Foz do Iguaçu and Ciudad del Este, where about 43,000 vehicles and 93,000 people pass daily, according to the Federal Revenue Service.
Integration Bridge continues with restricted traffic
Conceived as a logistical alternative for the Triple Frontier, the Integration Bridge was supposed to shift part of the heavy transport that currently shares space with cars, buses, vans, and pedestrians on the older crossing between Foz do Iguaçu and Ciudad del Este.
Despite the structure being ready, the Itamaraty states that the new connection operates in a “provisional regime”, because full operation depends on the completion of accesses on the Paraguayan side, a condition pointed out as essential to increase circulation in the region.
In the assessment of the Brazilian government, the Integration Bridge should primarily serve cargo vehicles and function complementarily to the Friendship Bridge, with expected improvements in traffic flows and in migratory and customs controls.
On the Paraguayan side, the government reported that there is a schedule planned for August, with the gradual implementation of small cargo transport and, in a later stage, passenger transport, while access works remain pending.
In Presidente Franco, the city hall resists the passage of loaded vehicles through the urban area, arguing that this flow damages the local asphalt and causes disturbances to the residents of the Paraguayan municipality.
Queue on the Friendship Bridge pressures commerce and tourism
Even before the complete conclusion of the accesses in Paraguay, representatives of commercial associations and class entities argue that the bridge could already receive light vehicles and part of small-scale operations, reducing the pressure on the traditional crossing.
For Roni Temp, president of Codetri, the Development Council of the Trinational Region of Iguassu, opening for 24 hours for unloaded trucks and small cars would be viable and would prevent a completed work from continuing with restricted use.
According to Temp, the limitation harms both sides of the border, as Paraguayans stop consuming services in Brazil, such as shopping and clinics, while Brazilians avoid going to Paraguay to not face queues that reach about two hours.
The entity sent a document to the Brazilian and Paraguayan governments classifying the current restriction as an obstacle to regional development, especially in an area marked by commerce, tourism, international transport, and daily circulation of workers.
Also on the agenda was the demand for progress on the bridge over the Monday River, identified as the main bottleneck to complete the Paraguayan access, with execution at about 40% and delivery forecast only for 2027.
Truck drivers report waiting at the Brazil-Paraguay border
In road transport, the delay in crossing the border directly affects companies and drivers, as trucks can take two to three days to pass through the Friendship Bridge during periods of more intense movement.
Rodrigo Souza, president of Sintrofi, the union of road transport workers of Foz do Iguaçu and the Western region, reports that drivers with empty trucks also remain stopped for hours waiting for the authorized time on the Integration Bridge.
“It is bad for companies and workers”, said Souza, summarizing the operational impact of a crossing created precisely to relieve the busiest corridor between Brazil and Paraguay.
According to Celso Gallegario, president of the Road Transporters Union of Foz do Iguaçu and Region, the delay in the full opening of the bridge causes an estimated annual loss of between R$ 2 billion and R$ 3 billion to bilateral trade.
On December 16, 2025, the National Land Transport Agency enabled the border point of the Integration Bridge for international road traffic of cargo and passengers, conditioned to legal and institutional requirements.
With a cable-stayed structure, the bridge has 760 meters in length and 470 meters of free span, described by ANTT as the largest in Latin America, in addition to Brazilian connection via the East Perimeter of Foz do Iguaçu.
Completed in 2023, the crossing only advanced operationally after the delivery of Brazilian works, such as customs and the East Perimeter, but remains limited while the Paraguayan side has not finished its accesses.
Between a ready bridge and an overloaded one, how long can Brazil and Paraguay still wait to transform the new crossing into a real solution for the border?
