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With China accounting for almost half of the investment and engineering, the Salvador-Itaparica bridge will span 12.4 km over the Bay of All Saints and will be the largest over-the-sea bridge in Latin America. The project costs R$ 11.6 billion and is scheduled for completion in June 2031.
Brazil has embarked on one of the most ambitious public works projects in the Americas, with China at its core, both financially and in engineering. According to the portal Xataka Brasil, the Asian country accounts for about 47% of the investment in the Salvador-Itaparica bridge, which will be the largest over-the-sea bridge in all of Latin America, with a span of 12.4 kilometers crossing the Bay of All Saints.
The numbers are as impressive as the timeline. The project costs R$ 11.6 billion, is expected to generate 7,000 jobs and will only be completed in June 2031, five years after construction begins. Once completed, it promises to eliminate ferries, shorten cargo routes by up to 200 kilometers, and save two hours of travel for those crossing the region.
China at the center of the largest over-the-sea bridge in Latin America
China’s leading role appears on two fronts simultaneously. China is contributing almost half of the investment and also providing the engineering responsible for executing the project, in an arrangement that positions the Asian country as a key player in a strategic Brazilian project, according to the official project of the Government of the State of Bahia.
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Brazil is handing over roads to the private sector at a record pace: highway concessions already total 200 billion reais and are expected to unlock another 149 billion by 2026, with 13 auctions and 6,400 kilometers in the queue.
What will be built justifies the scale of the partnership. Officially known as the Salvador-Itaparica Island Bridge System, the structure will have four lanes and span 12.4 kilometers, connecting the capital of Bahia to the Lower South region over the Bay of All Saints.
It is a leap in scale for national infrastructure. No other over-the-sea bridge in Latin America comes close to this mark, which transforms the Bahia crossing into a showcase and a real test of the ability to execute a project of this magnitude in Brazil.
July 1, 2026: the day the project came off the drawing board
After years of waiting, the project finally became a construction site. On July 1, 2026, President Lula officially launched the construction of the bridge, in a ceremony that marked the effective start of the most intensive phase of the project.
The event brought together the main authorities involved. The governor of Bahia, Jerônimo Rodrigues, and the Chief of Staff, Miriam Belchior, were present, signaling the political importance given to the project by the federal and state governments.
The president summed up the expectations in a few words. “Employment, income, mobility, tourism, and collaboration with the private sector, with direct benefits for the people of Bahia”, said Lula when commenting on the launch.
The 12.4 km and the cable-stayed section at 85 meters high
The most impressive detail of the project is in the middle of the path. The central section, 682 meters long, will be cable-stayed and rise 85 meters above sea level, forming the postcard of the structure.
This height is not an aesthetic choice. The elevation allows the passage of large ships without interrupting port operations, ensuring that the new bridge does not become an obstacle for the region’s maritime economy.
It is a classic solution to reconcile two worlds. On one side, the vehicle traffic that needs to cross; on the other, the ships that need to pass underneath — and the cable-stayed section solves both problems with a single design.
It’s not just the bridge: the complete road system
Anyone who imagines that the project is limited to the water crossing is mistaken. The system includes 4.4 kilometers of new access roads in Salvador, necessary to channel the traffic that will flow into the city.
On the other side, the intervention is even greater. A 22-kilometer expressway is planned in Itaparica, which will bypass the island’s urban center, preventing heavy traffic from passing through residential areas.
There is also a third front. The project includes widening 8 kilometers of the BA-001 highway, between Tairu and the Funil Bridge, completing the network that will give practical meaning to the entire investment.
How much it costs and who pays: the 47% from China
The budget is divided among three sources, and this is where the Chinese influence appears. The project is estimated at R$ 11.6 billion, with R$ 3 billion from the federal government, R$ 3.1 billion from the Bahia government, and R$ 5.5 billion from the concessionaire.
Just do the math to understand the title. The R$ 5.5 billion provided by the Chinese concessionaire represents about 47% of the total investment, meaning practically half of the bridge is funded by private capital from China.
On the Brazilian side, the money has a defined origin. The federal resources come from the New PAC, while the State of Bahia contributes the largest individual public share, in a model that divides the risk between the public sector and private initiative.
CCCC and CCECC: the Chinese giants behind the project
They are not small companies. The project is a public-private partnership involving the Government of the State of Bahia and the Salvador-Itaparica Bridge Concessionaire, formed by two of the largest Chinese engineering groups in the world: the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).
Their presence explains much of the project’s ambition. They are companies with experience in maritime megaprojects, precisely the type of expertise required to build a 12.4-kilometer structure over a bay.
And it signals something bigger. The entry of China into a project of this scale in Brazil shows the Asian country’s advancement in Latin American infrastructure, not just as a supplier of equipment, but as an investor and direct executor.
35 years of concession: how the contract works
The agreement goes far beyond the construction period. The concession contract lasts for 35 years, divided into well-defined stages from the start.
The calculation is simple to follow. It is one year for studies and obtaining licenses, five years for construction, and 29 years for the operation of the system, which will be tolled to ensure continuous maintenance and operation.
The first stage is already behind us. The initial phase was completed, and the five-year construction began in early July 2026, meaning the countdown for delivery is already underway.
10 million people and 250 municipalities benefited
The expected reach is the main argument in favor of the project. Regional authorities estimate that the project will benefit approximately 10 million people living in the 250 neighboring municipalities, directly or indirectly.
The most tangible gain is time. The crossing is expected to reduce travel time in the region by two hours, replacing the current ferry system, historically marked by queues and time limitations.
The projected capacity matches the expected demand. The structure should support a flow of 28,000 vehicles per day, a number that illustrates how much the region depends on this connection.
200 km less for cargo from western Bahia
For the economy, the impact is measured in kilometers saved. According to Governor Jerônimo Rodrigues, goods from western Bahia will have to travel 200 kilometers less to reach their destination.
Less road means less cost. Each kilometer cut represents savings in fuel, driver time, and fleet wear, which tends to be reflected in the final price of transported products.
The financial projections are ambitious. Mateus da Cunha Dias, Extraordinary Secretary of the Western Road System, highlights that the project could generate an economic impact of R$ 40 billion in the region — almost four times the amount invested in the work.
7,000 jobs and five years of construction
While the bridge is not yet ready, the effect is already visible in the job market. The construction will generate 7,000 jobs, according to the official project numbers.
The timeline, however, requires patience. The construction duration is five years, with completion expected by June 2031, which means the locals will still live with ferries for quite some time.
It’s a typical horizon for projects of this scale. Maritime megaprojects usually require years of execution, especially when they involve offshore foundations and large-span structures like the one to be erected in the Bay of All Saints.
105 wells and 67 meters: the seabed study
Before any piles, it was necessary to understand the terrain, which in this case, is underwater. The preliminary geotechnical studies included drilling 105 wells along the bridge’s route, according to the Government of the State of Bahia.
The depths vary drastically along the route. The route starts in shallow waters, with only 10 meters in the municipality of Veracruz, and extends to the central channel, where the bottom reaches 67 meters deep.
The investigation went even deeper than the seabed. Materials were extracted from depths of up to 200 meters, in an effort to map the geology that will support the structure for decades.
The “world-class” challenges and what is still unknown
Not everything, however, is clarified. The official information accounts for the scale and operation of the project, but no public source details, with concrete numbers, the technical risks of construction and maintenance in the face of waves and corrosion in a complex marine environment.
The executor himself acknowledges the difficulty. At the groundbreaking ceremony, the president of the Chinese concessionaire admitted that the project faces “world-class maritime engineering challenges”, citing medium and long-period waves and the geological complexity of the seabed — without, however, presenting the technical study that supports this risk assessment.
There is still a gap that directly affects the user’s wallet. There is no data on the exact toll amount that will be charged, a crucial piece of information both to assess the project’s profitability and to know how much it will actually cost to cross the new bridge.
And you, would you cross this 12.4 km bridge?
From a billion-dollar investment with almost half of the money coming from China to a section suspended 85 meters high for ships to pass, the Salvador-Itaparica bridge promises to change the map of Bahia but only in 2031, and still with open questions about tolls and technical risks.
And you, do you think the project is worth the R$ 11.6 billion investment? What do you think about China funding almost half of a strategic Brazilian infrastructure? Share your opinion in the comments and tag that friend who often takes the ferry to cross.
