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The construction of the tunnel, budgeted at R$531 million, was suspended by the courts due to environmental and social issues. The project involves the removal of 172 trees and the displacement of 150 families.
The construction of the tunnel that will connect Rua Sena Madureira to Avenida Ricardo Jafet, in the South Zone of São Paulo, is surrounded by a series of environmental and social questions.
Amid protests and legal action, the São Paulo Court ordered the works to be halted on Wednesday (13), in response to a public civil action brought by the São Paulo Public Prosecutor's Office (MP-SP).
The suspension remains in place until the conclusion of an expert assessment, which should assess the environmental damage and verify possible technical irregularities in the licensing.
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The project not only involves a billion-dollar investment, but also requires high-cost compensatory measures.
Investigation into environmental damage and costs
The decision of the 2nd Public Treasury Court includes the determination of a daily fine of R$50 thousand if activities continue e R$ 100 thousand for each tree removed, a high penalty for a project that involves cutting down 172 trees, 78 of which are native.
This project with a high environmental impact is located in a Special Environmental Protection Zone (ZEPAM), an area recognized for its ecological importance.
For the experts appointed by the Court, the challenge will be to assess whether it is possible to continue with the project without further compromising the local ecosystem and whether the environmental licensing process was conducted appropriately.
In reply to Municipal Attorney General's Office has not yet been officially notified, but has already stated that it will take the appropriate measures.
The consortium responsible for the work, led by Álya Construction (formerly Queiroz Galvão), preferred not to comment at this time.
Billion-dollar investment and transparency under debate
Started over a decade ago and initially estimated at around R$220 million, the tunnel project has now become a current cost of R$ 531 million.
This increase is due to contractual amendments and ongoing supervision, in addition to adjustments to mitigate environmental and social impacts.
The work was recently resumed by Mayor Ricardo Nunes, and was marked by controversy regarding the choice of the same construction company, involved in allegations of corruption in previous projects.
Furthermore, to meet legal requirements and reduce environmental impacts, the work has already consumed R$ 34 million in supervision.
Environmental organizations and urban planners question the lack of transparency, especially regarding the criteria for choosing the company and environmental compensation plans.
On the other hand, municipal authorities defend the work as a necessity to improve traffic and urban mobility in the region.
Displacement of residents and social impact
Tree removal is not the only factor causing tension in the local community. Around 150 families, who have lived in the Souza Ramos and Luiz Alves communities for decades, are being displaced to make the project possible.
These residents have lived there since 1945, and the area where they are located is a Special Zone of Social Interest (ZEIS).
Although the City Hall has promised compensation or relocation options, the details have not yet been released, and residents report uncertainty about the future.
Dissatisfaction also comes from environmentalists and neighborhood movements, who organize protests and argue that the project should be more respectful of the environment and the rights of local communities.
In addition to removing trees, the work is affecting the Embuaçu Stream, one of the last open watercourses in São Paulo, with a risk of soil contamination and loss of biodiversity in the area.
Controversy and discussions about the future of the work
The construction of the tunnel between Rua Sena Madureira and Avenida Ricardo Jafet remains on hold, but discussions about it are far from over.
Experts are divided on the need for such work.
While some engineers and urban planners support expansion to solve traffic problems, others believe the social and environmental impacts outweigh the benefits.
According to environmentalists, the project compromises the future of the ecological corridor, and the City Hall needs to offer greater transparency and dialogue with the population to mitigate the consequences.
Pressure on the city government to commit to sustainable and fair solutions is growing as more questions about the project emerge.
With an investment of more than half a billion reais, the tunnel reflects a dilemma between urban development and environmental conservation.
What do you think about the impact of these large-scale projects? To what extent does urban mobility justify the changes to the environment and people's lives?
100 each tree 🌳🌳🌳 I just want to know where this money goes
Instead of charging 100 thousand for each tree 🌳 have 100 planted for one
I thought the same, much more logical….
That's right!!!!!!!
and even reverse this fine to combat deforestation.
These environmentalists are the ones who frequent the nightclubs in the west side of São Paulo. Of course, all construction work must be carried out with transparency, but this should be determined before the work begins. Otherwise, we will have just another skeleton of an open-air construction site. Don't forget the work on the Jucelino Kubitschek tunnel, which was halted and even threatened to flood the tunnels when Mayor Luiza Erundina was elected, claiming that only the rich would use these tunnels. When the work was resumed, the costs multiplied. And this project will also go down the same path if these petty squabbles continue.
The population has been protesting since before the construction began. It just wasn't being reported by the media. This construction was suspended 13 years ago because it was also the target of an investigation by Lava Jato. It is necessary to know the entire history in order to protest. And another important point, not very important, is where and how the protesters and environmentalists spend their leisure time, a topic irrelevant to the subject of the report.
But if they acquitted Lula, there's more to follow up on, uhh
The protest against this project is old! I have lived on Sena Madureira Street for 40 years. There is a volunteer project in Kenichi Nakagawade Square where organic fertilizer is produced to replant trees (always native). Your view is distorted. The city government is displacing families from the community who have lived there for over 30 years. The mayor's excuse is that the tunnel is of public utility. There was even one who gave an interview saying that the asphalt would be destroyed by stopping traffic at traffic lights! Honestly, robberies at traffic lights happen everywhere. There are springs in the region. I just want to see what you will say when your Sabesp bill arrives. It's not just the trees (birds); these trees that were cut down were home to birds! "These environmentalists" defend humanity's heritage. And your comment was pretty ****.
The work is already underway and at high costs. Now it is time to finish by solving the environmental and social problems in the best possible way.
All this blah blah blah could have been avoided when the project was approved by the competent authorities. Now 100 thousand for each tree, it is the official way of stealing.
It's funny that the biased report focuses on the theme “how absurd that half a billion is being wasted because of half a dozen trees” and leaves the issue of 150 families in the background.
My opinion is that a project like this will make no difference whatsoever to the city's development... It's always the same story. "We have to ignore environmental laws, otherwise this project won't happen and the country will go bankrupt" if the laws are ignored... If the project is done, nothing changes... Except for the pockets of the construction company owners and those who embezzle the money, which will become even bigger.
These environmental laws are a hindrance in every way. They make it difficult to prune trees, delay construction work... and they never punish those who actually cut down thousands of trees. The lawbreakers who are punished are always the poor, who often have to bear the brunt of the losses due to the bureaucracy of these legislators who create these absurd laws.
Don't get in the way! What gets in the way is the lack of oversight. It's worse when the government is responsible for deforestation, denies its own studies and claims that such a project will benefit the population. But it doesn't. Two communities are being thrown into the open to meet the accessibility needs of the rich (poor people don't have cars). Humans are locusts, the rich are the biggest deforesters. There is only one bus line in Sena Madureira, which runs every 40 minutes and this delay has nothing to do with traffic, because access to Sena doesn't go through traffic lights. It's just a lack of buses.