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With promises of progress, the highway project was completed, but it is already facing serious problems. Traffic jams, insecurity and negligence could lead to collapse in weeks. Residents and tourists await urgent solutions to the impending chaos.
Behind the shine of the inaugurations and the promises of progress, a scenario of imminent chaos threatens the Southern Bypass of the Tamoios Highway.
This grandiose project, which cost more than R$3 billion and was designed to solve traffic problems between Caraguatatuba and São Sebastião, could turn into a logistical nightmare.
With congestion increasing and peak season just around the corner, the risks of collapse challenge the much-touted expectations of efficiency.
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The warning did not come from a technical expert, but from the mayor of São Sebastião himself, Felipe Augusto (PSDB).
According to him, planning and execution problems in integrating the new highway with the municipal road system are already generating daily traffic jams and putting the safety of pedestrians and cyclists at risk.
“The work is fantastic, but the connection with the city’s road system is chaos,” said the mayor in an interview with TV Record.
A grand project under threat
The Southern Bypass of the Tamoios Highway, opened at the end of November 2024, connects kilometer 11 of the highway, at the entrance to Caraguatatuba, to kilometer 33, in São Sebastião.
With 23 kilometers in length and three tunnels in each direction, the project was designed to reduce travel time between cities from 45 to just 16 minutes.
The concessionaire responsible, Consórcio Tamoios, announced improvements such as a maximum speed of 80 km/h on the new route, much higher than the limit of 40 to 60 km/h on the old stretch, full of traffic lights and speed bumps.
Furthermore, the implementation of a system of automatic toll promises more agility to traffic.
However, despite the announced advantages, flaws in the planning and integration of the work into the local road system are creating a crisis.
Traffic jams have become frequent, worsened by the increase in the flow of vehicles during hot periods, when tourists crowd the North Coast.
Traffic jams and safety risks
According to Felipe Augusto, the situation is a direct result of the inaction of the Tamoios consortium, which manages the highway.
“We pointed out the problems and suggested solutions that were approved but not implemented. Now we are seeing chaos set in,” the mayor vented.
In addition to heavy traffic, another critical point is the lack of safety for pedestrians and cyclists in the connection areas between the Contorno Sul and the urban road system.
Without urgent improvements, the risk of accidents increases exponentially, especially with the arrival of summer and school holidays.
Felipe Augusto also highlights that the ferry system, essential for transport between cities on the North Coast, is also facing overload.
“With the summer season, we will have millions of visitors to the region. This could lead to the collapse of traffic and the ferry system,” he warned.
History of delays and billion-dollar investments
The Contorno Sul saga began in 2013, during the Geraldo Alckmin government, when the project was announced as a definitive solution for traffic on the North Coast.
The works, however, were marked by stoppages and delays.
Interrupted in 2018, construction only resumed in 2021, now under the management of the Tamoios consortium.
The total cost exceeded R$3 billion, a significant investment that, so far, has not brought the expected benefits to the population.
The Northern section of the Contour, which connects Caraguatatuba to Ubatuba, was inaugurated in December 2023.
Although the flow in that region has improved, the same road integration problems were also reported, highlighting a systemic failure in the planning of the works.
Electronic toll: progress or obstacle?
One of the innovations of the Southern Bypass is the free-flow electronic toll system, which does away with booths and barriers.
Drivers pay R$5 using an electronic tag or, if they don't have one, they can check their debt via the dealership's app or website.
Although the measure promises fluidity, drivers without a tag report difficulties in accessing payment information.
This generates complaints and, in some cases, can discourage the use of highway, transferring some of the traffic back to the old route.
The impact of high season on the Tamoios highway
With the arrival of summer, the North Coast is preparing to receive up to 3 million visitors. This intense movement further aggravates the bottlenecks of the Southern Bypass and the impact on urban traffic.
The state government has been pressuring the Tamoios consortium to implement solutions before the situation gets out of control.
However, without immediate action, what should be a step forward could become a symbol of inefficiency.
The future of the Southern Contour will depend on quick and effective decisions. The question remains: will the region's infrastructure be able to support the exponential increase in demand in the coming months?
The situation is complex and will not be resolved in the short term. A temporary solution for the period around Christmas, New Year's Eve and school holidays would be for the city government to reach an agreement with the concessionaire so that the São Sebastião-Caraguá lane would be blocked, leaving only the Caraguá-São Sebastião lane open. During this period, anyone going to Caraguá should return to using the old route (SP-55).