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Vessel from China brings strategic equipment to Salvador for one of Bahia’s most anticipated projects, as the bridge project over the Bay of All Saints enters the physical mobilization phase, with provisional platforms, construction sites, and new work fronts planned.
The arrival in Salvador of a ship from China with more than 800 tons of materials marked a new stage of the Salvador-Itaparica Bridge, a connection designed to link the Bahian capital to Itaparica Island over 12.4 kilometers across the Bay of All Saints.
Docked at the Port of Salvador on May 18, 2026, the vessel brought 44 containers destined for the first service fronts, in a move that shifts the project from the preparatory phase to physical mobilization at strategic points of the work.
Before reaching the Bahian capital, the cargo left the Port of Shanghai on March 30, 2026 and traveled about 17,000 kilometers, a journey that reinforces the participation of Chinese suppliers in the initial structuring of the enterprise.
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Valued by the Government of Bahia at US$ 3.5 million, an amount equivalent to more than R$ 17 million, the shipment includes metal parts, Bailey beam panels, bolts, locking pins, and components aimed at installing provisional structures at sea.
Salvador-Itaparica Bridge equipment will prepare work at sea
In the early stages of construction, the materials will be used to assemble a provisional platform, a structure planned to support workers, machines, and equipment during operation in a maritime environment and enhance the logistical safety of the service fronts.
With this technical solution, teams and heavy machinery will be able to circulate in the bridge implementation areas, while the dependence on support vessels in the Bay of All Saints is expected to be reduced during the execution of initial activities.
For the Extraordinary Secretariat of the West Road System Salvador-Itaparica Bridge, the provisional platform plays a central role in organizing logistics over the sea, especially because the work requires constant transportation of people, equipment, and supplies between construction sites.
Applied in large-scale international projects, the technology is expected to reduce the use of support boats by almost 70% during the initial stages, which could make the operation more efficient and reduce bottlenecks in team movements.
Part of the materials will go to Maragogipe, where a support site is planned to be set up in São Roque do Paraguaçu, an area that will serve as an operational base for activities related to the initial structuring of the work.
Another batch will be sent to Vera Cruz, on Itaparica Island, a municipality that will receive mobilization fronts linked to the construction of the bridge, road access, and complementary structures of the new road system.
During the arrival of the first components, Governor Jerônimo Rodrigues accompanied the operation and informed that the unloading would be followed by the transportation of the pieces to the support points defined for the mobilization of the project.
“This material will be transported to Maragogipe, where a construction site will be set up in the cove. Part will also go to Vera Cruz,” he said.
Start of the bridge foundations is scheduled for June
According to the schedule presented by the Government of Bahia to the State Court of Auditors, the start of the works is scheduled for June 4, 2026, while the estimated completion is set for 2031.
At the meeting held on March 16, 2026, state representatives also reported that they were monitoring the progress of environmental licensing and engineering projects, points considered necessary for the release of the next stages.
According to the secretary of SVPonte, Mateus Simões Dias, the arrival of the materials represents a concrete step for the advancement of the project, as it allows the preparation of the temporary infrastructure that will support the first activities in the field.
In a statement released by the state government, he stated that the project follows the planned schedule, with technical planning and structured logistics to ensure safety and efficiency in the next phases of the bridge’s implementation.
The initial phase of platform assembly is expected to generate around 200 direct jobs, including roles such as assembly, welding, and engineering, as well as indirect hires in logistics, transportation, supplies, and operational support activities.
Considering the entire system implementation period, the official estimate reaches 7,000 direct and indirect jobs, with demand for different specialties and participation of companies linked to the heavy construction chain.
In addition to the 44 containers transported by the ship, the state government reported that approximately 3,900 tons of steel pipes have begun to arrive at São Roque do Paraguaçu, a volume used in the platform structuring stage.
This material is equivalent to approximately 400 trucks and will be applied in the initial phases of the water work platform, a necessary element to enable the execution of services in areas where the bridge will be implemented.
Salvador-Itaparica Bridge will be 12.4 kilometers over the bay
The Salvador-Itaparica Bridge is part of the Salvador-Ilha de Itaparica Road System, a set that includes road accesses in Salvador, the main structure over the sea, arrival at the island, road variant, and interventions on BA-001.
With 12.4 kilometers of extension over the water mirror, the structure is expected to become the largest bridge of its kind in Latin America, according to the Court of Accounts of the State of Bahia.
The project also foresees a central span of approximately 400 meters wide and about 85 meters of free height, a dimension defined to allow the navigation of large vessels through the Bay of All Saints.
On the Salvador side, the connection is expected to occur in the region of the São Joaquim Maritime Terminal, with the implementation of tunnels and viaducts connected to the Expressway, Jequitaia Avenue, and Engineer Oscar Pontes Avenue.
In Vera Cruz, the arrival is planned in the Gameleira region, a point on the Island of Itaparica that will be integrated into the system through new accesses and road adjustments associated with future operation.
The system also includes the construction of a new road variant on the Island of Itaparica and the recovery and duplication of a section of BA-001 between the Cacha Pregos region and the head of the Funil Bridge.
After an addendum signed on June 4, 2025, the official forecast now indicates the completion of services in June 2031, a deadline that covers the implementation of the bridge, accesses, and other structures of the system.
Bridge PPP brings together Government of Bahia and Chinese groups
The implementation, operation, and maintenance of the road system will be the responsibility of the Salvador-Itaparica Bridge Concessionaire, formed by the Chinese groups China Communications Construction Company and China Railway Construction Corporation.
Structured as a Public-Private Partnership with a total concession of 35 years, the contract provides for an initial phase of studies, licensing, and development of the executive project before the construction and operation of the system.
According to the model provided by the state government, the contractual period includes five years for construction and 29 years for operation, in addition to the preparatory phase necessary for technical detailing, authorizations, and organization of work fronts.
The estimated investment was updated in different official documents and reached about R$ 11 billion in the schedule presented to the State Court of Auditors in March 2026.
Treated by the Bahian government as one of the main structuring works of the state, the project creates a new connection axis between Salvador, Recôncavo, Baixo Sul, and other inland regions.
The official estimate indicates that the intervention could directly and indirectly benefit more than 10 million people in about 250 municipalities, especially by reorganizing travel and freight transport flows.
With the new connection, the expectation is to reduce distances, reorganize logistical routes, and increase integration with highways such as BR-101, BR-116, and BR-242, important corridors for regional outflow.
On Itaparica Island, the project will also have a direct impact on local mobility, as the operation of the bridge depends on new accesses, road alterations, and connection with existing road sections.
Environmental licensing follows construction stages
The environmental licensing of the Salvador-Itaparica Bridge Road System occurs in stages, according to official information from SVPonte, and follows the project’s evolution from feasibility analysis to future operation.
The Preliminary License has already been granted after analysis of the socio-environmental feasibility of the project, based on the Environmental Impact Study and the Environmental Impact Report prepared for the road system.
For construction to advance, the Installation License authorizes the start of works provided that plans and programs defined in the EIA/RIMA are developed, presented, and approved by the competent authorities.
Only after the completion of the works can the Operation License be granted, allowing the effective functioning of the road system and the opening of the connection for public use.
In the monitoring carried out by the Court of Auditors, the government reported that the process was being conducted with institutional dialogue and listening to traditional communities, including fishermen, traditional peoples, and Afro-Brazilian religious communities on the island.
The control body also stated that it will continue to monitor the execution of the contract permanently, an action that involves oversight of the schedule, costs, licensing, and compliance with the obligations assumed by the parties.
In addition to sending steel pipes to the support sites, the arrival of the ship with the first imported materials puts the Salvador-Itaparica Bridge in a more visible physical mobilization stage.
From this phase, progress will depend on the execution of temporary structures, the installation of construction sites, and the fulfillment of the necessary authorizations for activities at sea and on land.
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