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Among tunnels carved into the rock, deep pillars, and viaducts erected over the Atlantic Forest, one of the main connections between São Paulo and the coast brings together engineering solutions that have spanned decades and continue to influence new projects in the Serra do Mar.
Inaugurated on June 28, 1976, the north lane of the Rodovia dos Imigrantes crosses the Serra do Mar through tunnels, elevated viaducts, and deep foundations, forming a strategic link between the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, the Baixada Santista, and the Port of Santos.
Responsible for the execution of the project, Dersa faced steep slopes, rocky formations, and preserved areas of the Atlantic Forest, conditions that required solutions considered advanced for Brazilian engineering during the 1970s.
By expanding the circulation capacity between the plateau and the coast, the Imigrantes also began to complement the Via Anchieta, pressured by the population, industrial, and logistical growth recorded in the state of São Paulo during that period.
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Viaducts of the Rodovia dos Imigrantes exceed 80 meters
With 17.8 kilometers in length, only the mountain section of the north lane concentrates 11 tunnels and 20 viaducts, structures that, together, exceed 12 kilometers distributed over one of the most complex terrains in São Paulo territory.
At certain points, the viaducts were erected at more than 80 meters above the ground, a height comparable to a building with about 25 floors, which allowed crossing valleys and slopes without resorting to large continuous embankments.
To ensure stability to the structures, the teams fixed pillars directly into the rock and executed foundations that reached depths of up to 40 meters, according to information released by the concessionaire Ecovias Imigrantes and reproduced by the Jornal da Orla.
The original project adopted three traffic lanes and a layout prepared for speeds of up to 110 kilometers per hour, although the current operation depends on signage, road conditions, and the rules applied in each section.
Engineering faced terrain and Atlantic Forest
By combining tunnels, viaducts, and elevated structures, the project reduced the need to follow all the natural curves of the slopes, creating stretches where the highway seems to remain suspended over the vegetation and the uneven terrain of the Serra do Mar.
Even with these solutions, the technology available in the 1970s required a wide support structure, consisting of 133 support pillars and 16 construction sites distributed throughout the area used during the implementation of the first lane.
Years later, in 1998, Ecovias took over the administration of the Anchieta-Imigrantes System and began to execute investments planned in the concession, including the second lane of the Imigrantes, inaugurated in December 2002 to increase the operational capacity of the connection.
In the new section, larger spans between the structures allowed for a reduction in the number of supports, with 62 pillars and only two construction sites, a number lower than the 133 pillars and 16 sites used during the construction of the original lane.
According to the concessionaire, these changes meant that the implementation of the second lane caused about 40 times less deforestation than the work carried out in the 1970s, preserving a larger portion of the native vegetation.
Traffic increased in the Anchieta-Imigrantes System
As the São Paulo coast, the Cubatão Industrial Hub, and the Port of Santos expanded their activities, the highway gained importance and became established as a fundamental passage for cars, buses, and cargo vehicles.
Between 2010 and 2025, the average daily volume of the Anchieta-Imigrantes System grew approximately 25%, increasing from 98.5 thousand to over 123 thousand vehicles, according to information presented by the concessionaire during the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the north lane.
In the last 25 years, total circulation increased by more than 50%, while trucks continued to use the Via Anchieta to descend the mountain, as the characteristics of the descending lane of the Imigrantes restrict the passage of heavy vehicles in this direction.
In light of this growing demand, the Government of São Paulo requested, in 2024, the development of a project for a third connection between the plateau and the Baixada Santista, mainly aimed at expanding the system’s capacity and improving port access.
Third lane of the Imigrantes will have a six-kilometer tunnel
On March 31, 2026, Ecovias announced it had obtained the Preliminary Environmental License for the third lane, after the State Environmental Council approved Cetesb’s technical opinion on the environmental viability of the project.
According to the presented project, the new route will have 21.6 kilometers, of which approximately 17.4 kilometers will be within five tunnels, a proportion equivalent to about 80% of the entire connection between the Rodovia dos Imigrantes and the Rodovia Cônego Domênico Rangoni.
Among the planned structures, one of the tunnels is expected to exceed six kilometers and become the largest road tunnel in Brazil, while bridges, viaducts, and elevated structures are expected to limit direct interventions in areas of native forest.
Starting from the vicinity of kilometer 43 of the Imigrantes, the new track will end in the Cubatão region, near the industrial hub and the accesses to the right and left banks of the Port of Santos.
With an average slope of 4% planned, the connection should allow the descent of trucks and buses, in addition to operating reversibly when necessary, following the changes in flow between the capital of São Paulo and the coast.
According to the projections released by Ecovias, the work could generate an increase of 25% in the total capacity of the mountain section and a gain of up to 145% in the descent of heavy vehicles, although it still depends on the next licenses and administrative decisions.
After half a century of operation, how many other Brazilian works have managed to gather such expressive dimensions, face a similar terrain, and continue to play a decisive role in mobility, tourism, and freight transport?
