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Inaugurated In 2022, The Antônio de Queiroz Galvão Tunnel Is The Largest Highway Tunnel In Brazil, But A New Project On The Immigrants Highway, With 6 Km, Promises To Surpass It Soon.
The title of largest highway tunnel in Brazil belongs to an impressive engineering work located in the mountains of the Tamoios Highway (SP-099), in São Paulo. The Antônio de Queiroz Galvão Tunnel, with its 5,555 meters in length, represents a milestone in national infrastructure, but its reign as champion may be short-lived. A new and even more ambitious project is already underway on the Immigrants Highway, promising to redefine the limits of tunnel engineering in the country.
These projects, although both located in the challenging geology of the Serra do Mar, were conceived with distinct objectives. One was born to boost tourism and regional mobility, while the other was designed to solve a critical logistical bottleneck for Brazil’s economy.
The Current Champion, 5,555 Meters In The Tamoios Mountains
Officially inaugurated on March 26, 2022, the Antônio de Queiroz Galvão Tunnel is the centerpiece of the duplication of the mountain section of the Tamoios Highway. With a length of exactly 5,555 meters (5.55 km), it is currently the largest highway tunnel in Brazil in operation.
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The project was conceived to solve the long-standing problem of chronic congestion on the main access road between the Paraíba Valley and the North Shore of São Paulo. The new lane, which operates exclusively uphill (from the coast to the inland), doubled the traffic capacity and reduced travel time in the mountains from more than 45 minutes to approximately 16 minutes.
A Project Worth R$ 3.1 Billion, The Engineering Behind The Tunnel
The construction of the tunnel was the responsibility of the Tamoios Concessionaire, led by the Queiroz Galvão group, under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) contract with the São Paulo government. The cost of duplicating the mountain section was approximately R$ 3.1 billion.
One of the smartest engineering decisions in the project was the unification of two tunnels that were in the original plan (T3 and T4) into a single continuous structure. This change, in addition to optimizing the logistics of the project, drastically reduced the environmental impact in a preserved Atlantic Forest area. The excavation used the so-called New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) and overcame challenges such as rock instability and massive water infiltration.
The Megaproject Of The Immigrants Highway
While the Tamoios tunnel holds the current record, a successor is already being designed. The new lane of the Immigrants Highway, a project by the Ecovias concessionaire, will include a highway tunnel approximately 6 kilometers long.
Unlike its predecessor, the strategic objective of this new tunnel is primarily logistical. It was designed to increase the downhill capacity for trucks to the Port of Santos by 145%, solving a critical bottleneck for the flow of cargo from the largest port complex in Latin America and making Brazilian products more competitive.
A New Record On The Way, The Tunnel That Will Be The Largest In Brazil
The new lane project of the Immigrants has an estimated cost ranging from R$ 6 billion to R$ 6.5 billion. The schedule anticipates the completion of environmental licensing in the first half of 2026 and the delivery of the work by 2031.
The new tunnel will be specifically designed for heavy vehicle traffic, with a gentler slope than that of the current lane and reinforced safety systems, such as parallel emergency galleries. Upon completion, it will become the new largest highway tunnel in Brazil.
Highway Tunnel Or Railway Tunnel? The Difference That Matters In The Ranking
It is important to distinguish to correctly understand engineering records in the country. Although the Antônio de Queiroz Galvão Tunnel is the largest highway tunnel in operation, the title of the largest tunnel in Brazil, in absolute terms, belongs to a railway structure.
The “Tunelão”, with 8,645 meters in length, located on the Steel Railway, in Minas Gerais, is the largest tunnel ever constructed in the national territory. This information contextualizes the grandeur of highway works and the evolution of infrastructure engineering in Brazil.
Se não for para fazer distinção ao falar em maior túnel, então o maior construído no Brasil é o da transposição do Rio São Francisco, que liga a Paraíba ao Ceará com 15 kms de extensão