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The duplication of lot 1 of BR-280, between the Port of São Francisco do Sul and the Jaraguá do Sul Bypass, has been stopped since December 2022 with only 36% of the services executed, and DNIT has opened a new tender for a reformulated 51 km project with an expected hiring date until 2027.
The duplication of lot 1 of BR-280, in Northern Santa Catarina, has accumulated over a decade of delays. The work has been stopped since December 2022 with only 36% of the planned services executed, according to DNIT (National Department of Transport Infrastructure).
The stretch connects the Port of São Francisco do Sul to the Jaraguá do Sul Bypass. It is considered strategic for the outflow of industrial production in the region, but has been affected by successive stoppages, project changes, and new environmental and urban challenges.
The original executive project was approved in May 2013. The tender took place in September 2014, and the first stoppage occurred in April 2015, shortly after the start of the works.
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More than a decade of delays: the duplication of Lot 1 of BR-280, between São Francisco do Sul and Jaraguá do Sul, had its project approved in 2013, suffered stoppages and has remained halted since 2022, with only 36% of the services completed.
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Among the main obstacles were expropriations along the route and compliance with Funai (National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples) conditions related to the indigenous component. The works resumed in May 2018, but were interrupted again at the end of 2022.
Given the accumulated problems, DNIT opened a new tender for the engineering studies and projects of the so-called “new Lot 1” of BR-280. The new stretch will be 51 kilometers long, a significant expansion compared to the originally planned 36 kilometers.
Why the BR-280 duplication project changed its route
The project reformulation was not an isolated decision. The outdatedness of the old geotechnical studies was one of the main reasons, according to DNIT, as the original survey was done more than 10 years ago and lost its technical validity.
Other factors also weighed in. The quarries foreseen in the original project are no longer available to supply material for the work, and urban growth along the highway completely changed the implementation scenario.
New developments have emerged in areas that were previously free. Subdivisions, industries, and commercial establishments that did not exist when the project was drafted in 2013 now occupy parts of the original route, requiring detours and adjustments.
The environmental issue also changed. New environmental requirements and the need for compatibility with other works such as the São Francisco do Sul Railway Bypass impacted planning and led DNIT to recalculate the route.
The new BR-280 project foresees important changes compared to the previous one. Among the novelties are the implementation of bike paths along the highway and specific interventions in indigenous areas, such as in Aldeia Piraí.
How the new BR-280 project is divided into segments
Despite remaining in a single contracting lot, the new BR-280 project was structured into three segments. The division facilitates technical management and allows addressing the stretches in different orders as environmental authorizations progress.
The first segment goes from São Francisco do Sul to the junction with SC-415. It is 20.6 kilometers long and is the stretch closest to the port, the starting point of the highway that drains the region’s industrial production.
The second segment connects SC-415 to BR-101, near Araquari, with 14.8 kilometers. This stretch concentrates the busiest intersection of the route, where BR-280 crosses one of the country’s main federal highways.
The third segment connects BR-101 to the beginning of the Jaraguá do Sul Bypass, with 15.6 kilometers. It is the final stretch of the duplication, providing access to the Itapocu Valley industrial corridor and completing the connection between the port and the metallurgical region of Northern Santa Catarina.
DNIT’s current forecast is that the contracting of the new basic and executive project will be completed by 2027. Even if the schedule is met, the work itself would only begin after that, further delaying the delivery of the complete duplication.
What happens to the remaining segments of the old BR-280 Lot 1
While the new alignment progresses in the project phase, DNIT is also working on the remaining segments of the original Lot 1. These stretches go from São Francisco do Sul to Araquari and cover specific parts of BR-280 that already had an approved project and can be tendered separately.
One of the stretches is the São Francisco do Sul Bypass, between kilometers 3 and 17.4. Another is the urban crossing of Araquari, between kilometers 25.4 and 28.2, where the IFC (Catarinense Federal Institute) overpass is planned.
The new basic and executive project for these segments has already been approved, and the tender for the works is expected to occur in June. The separation of these stretches from the new integral lot allows services to be contracted even before the main project is ready.
The two-pronged strategy (remaining segments in immediate tender and new lot in project phase) attempts to accelerate at least part of the duplication. For BR-280 users, however, the prospect is that the highway will remain in inadequate conditions for a few more years.
The forecast for tendering the remaining stretches in June does not mean that the works will begin in the same month. After the tender, there are still stages of contracting, mobilization of the winning company, and effective start of the service fronts.
Why the duplication of BR-280 is so important for Northern Santa Catarina
The Port of São Francisco do Sul is among the largest exporting ports in the country. BR-280 is the main connection route between the port and the industrial park of Northern Santa Catarina, including cities like Joinville, Jaraguá do Sul, and municipalities in the Itapocu Valley.
The outflow of industrial production in the region directly depends on the highway. Any delay in the duplication reflects in higher logistical costs, more accidents on a single lane, and longer travel times for cargo and passenger transport between the port and Jaraguá do Sul.
The region concentrates large companies in the metallurgy, auto parts, engineering plastics, and consumer goods sectors. The delay in the duplication of BR-280 is pointed out by business entities and the city halls of Joinville and Jaraguá do Sul as a competitiveness bottleneck that affects the attraction of new investments.
For residents, the problem is daily. Stretches of the highway still with a single lane concentrate accidents and traffic jams, especially during peak hours and periods of high port activity.
The combination of a decade of delays, complete project reformulation, and a timeline that extends delivery beyond 2027 shows that the work is still far from being completed. Each new stage demands patience from a region that has been waiting for the duplication of BR-280 since before the effective start of works in 2014.
And you, do you depend on BR-280 daily? Do you think the duplication will finally happen this time? Leave your opinion in the comments.
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