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The Guaratuba Bridge was inaugurated on Friday (1st) with 1,240 meters and R$ 400 million in investment, replacing the ferry boat that operated on the coast since the 1960s and reducing the crossing from 30 minutes to 1 minute, with four lanes, a bike path, and a pedestrian walkway without a toll.
The bridge that the Paraná coast and northern Santa Catarina waited for decades was inaugurated on Friday night (1st), ending the era of the ferry boat where crossing Guaratuba Bay depended on ferries that operated since the 1960s with queues that on holidays and during peak season could turn a 30-minute crossing into hours of waiting. The Guaratuba Bridge connects the cities of Guaratuba and Matinhos in Paraná and opens a direct path to Santa Catarina, reducing the bay crossing time to about one to two minutes on a 1,240-meter structure with four lanes, a bike path, and pedestrian space that cost over R$ 400 million and is considered one of the largest infrastructure interventions ever carried out in the state. Governor Carlos Massa Ratinho Junior declared that “the bridge not only connects two cities but integrates our entire coast with the rest of the State”.
The construction of the bridge progressed at a pace that impressed even the most optimistic. The project began to be structured in 2019 with technical, economic, and environmental studies; construction started in October 2023 and advanced with work fronts operating 24 hours a day, a speed that allowed the structure to be delivered in less than three years since the first pillar. The road accesses connecting the bridge to existing highways add more than 3 km, and the decision not to charge a toll ensures that the crossing, which previously cost time and money on the ferry, will now be free and practically instantaneous.
What changes for those traveling between SC and Paraná with the Guaratuba bridge
The difference between before and after the bridge is measured in minutes that represent hours accumulated throughout the year. Those traveling between the Paraná coast and northern Santa Catarina had to face the ferry boat crossing in Guaratuba Bay, an operation that under normal conditions took about 30 minutes between boarding, crossing, and disembarking, but which during periods of high demand such as holidays, New Year’s Eve, and summer season easily exceeded an hour of waiting in line even before boarding. The bridge eliminates this variable by offering a highway-speed crossing that is independent of tide conditions, queues, or vessel availability.
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For drivers who make the journey regularly, the bridge represents concrete savings. Professionals who work in Guaratuba and live in Matinhos or vice-versa, truck drivers who transport cargo between states (although heavy vehicles are restricted on the bridge), and tourists who frequent the Paraná and Santa Catarina coasts save time that accumulates over weeks and months. The restriction on heavy vehicles was a project decision that prioritizes traffic flow and preserves the structure for predominantly light vehicle use, a decision that keeps the bridge functioning as a quick link instead of a truck corridor.
How the bridge has already transformed Guaratuba even before its inauguration
The economic impact of the bridge began to be felt years before its opening to traffic. Guaratuba’s real estate market entered accelerated expansion with the confirmation of the project: in 2025, the city issued 401 construction permits, an average of three every two days, and in 2026, by April, 139 permits have already been issued. The number of buildings in the city rose from 183 in 2023 to 207 in 2025, an increase of approximately 13%, and currently 40 developments are under construction with new projects awaiting approval, including high-standard properties.
Real estate appreciation is a direct consequence of the connectivity the bridge offers. A city that depended on a ferry to connect to the rest of the coast had a natural limitation that deterred investors and buyers who did not accept the uncertainty of being stuck in a ferry boat queue to go to and from home. With the bridge, Guaratuba becomes as accessible as any other coastal city connected by road, and the market responded by anticipating the demand that the new infrastructure will generate when tourists and residents discover that the crossing, which was an obstacle, is now a bridge.
The R$ 2 billion package accompanying the bridge on the Paraná coast
The Guaratuba bridge is a central piece of a much larger investment in the region. The structure is part of a package of over R$ 2 billion in works on the Paraná coast, which includes the duplication of PR-412, the revitalization of Matinhos’ waterfront, interventions in Pontal do Paraná, and structural improvements in Guaratuba such as the modernization of the historic waterfront and the expansion of the municipal aerodrome. The set of works transforms the Paraná coast from a region with limited infrastructure into a destination that can compete with the Santa Catarina coast for the attention of tourists and investors.
As a complement to the bridge, a bypass is in the environmental licensing phase. The project foresees the restructuring of about eight kilometers of urban roads connecting the bridge exit to PR-412 towards Garuva, in Santa Catarina, a connection that, once completed, will complete the road corridor integrating the Paraná coast with northern Santa Catarina without interruptions. For those traveling between Curitiba and Joinville along the coast, the combination of the bridge and the reformed highways will create an alternative route that can rival BR-376 in practicality and safety.
What happens to the ferry boat after the bridge
The ferry crossing that operated for over six decades in Guaratuba Bay will be gradually discontinued. The decision not to abruptly end the ferry boat service allows for an adaptation period for workers who depend on the ferry operations and for riverside communities that use water transport for purposes that the bridge may not directly serve. The transition also allows time for any adjustments to the bridge access road system to be made based on the actual vehicle flow observed in the first weeks of operation.
The end of the ferry boat marks the end of an era that generations of Paraná and Santa Catarina residents experienced. Waiting in the ferry queue in Guaratuba is a collective memory that connects families who spent holidays on the coast, truck drivers who transported cargo between states, and residents who made the boarding and disembarking ritual part of their daily routine. The bridge replaces waiting with speed, uncertainty with predictability, and limitation with the freedom to cross the bay at any time without depending on a departure schedule, and those who experienced the ferry queues know exactly how much this change is worth.
And you, have you ever crossed Guaratuba Bay by ferry boat? Do you think the bridge will transform the coast? Leave your opinion in the comments.
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