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The state is about to gain a colossal highway with 145 kilometers and R$7 billion in investments! The new Via Mar promises to ease traffic on BR-101 and bring positive impacts to transportation and tourism in the region.
A colossal project is underway on the northern coast of Santa Catarina.
However, what is really behind this project that promises not only to ease traffic, but also to transform the region's infrastructure?
The answer is not as simple as it seems, but it involves a new 145-kilometer highway and an investment of R$7 billion.
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The relevance of this project goes far beyond asphalt and bridges, as it can redefine the region's logistical and tourist scenario, changing the daily lives of thousands of people and companies.
As announced in a ceremony held at Casa d'Agronômica, led by Governor Jorginho Mello and other political figures, the new highway parallel to BR-101, called Road Axis by Sea, is a fundamental step towards solving the bottleneck faced by the state's heavy traffic, especially in the north.
The service orders for four of the five lots, totaling 90,5 kilometers, have already been signed, with the promise of delivering a new traffic alternative by 2026.
Project details and public-private partnerships
The project of the Road Axis by Sea It was prepared with the support of the Technical, Economic and Environmental Feasibility Study (EVTEA), with an investment of R$552.590,25.
Furthermore, the expectation is that the work will be made possible through public-private partnerships, as explained by Ricardo Grando, Deputy Secretary of Infrastructure for Santa Catarina.
According to him, “the project was born with the DNA of partnerships, and we are looking for investors who can participate in this important work”.
The total length of the highway will be 145,215 kilometers, connecting Joinville to the Florianópolis Ring Road.
With viaducts, bridges and even a tunnel, the Via Mar Highway Axis aims to be more than just a road: it will be a new route that will alleviate traffic on BR-101, one of the main highways in Brazil.
Planned lots and sections
The new highway will be divided into five lots, with emphasis on the first four, whose projects have already been authorized.
Lot 1:
- Section: Joinville to Guaramirim
- Length: 26,85 km
- Price: R $ 2,208,061,41
- Two bridges and two viaducts
Lot 2:
- Section: Guaramirim to Massaranduba
- Length: 21,09 km
- Price: R $ 2,003,731,00
- A bridge and a viaduct
Lot 3:
- Section: Massaranduba to Navegantes
- Length: 16,77 km
- Price: R $ 2,212,430,00
- Eight containments and two bridges
Lot 4:
- Section: Navegantes to Itajaí
- Length: 25,87 km
- Price: R $ 3,185,204,65
- Four viaducts and four bridges
The fifth lot, which is still pending signature, corresponds to the section of 54,72 km, between Itajaí and Florianópolis, and includes a tunnel that will be one of the largest special works of art on the highway.
Impact on transport and tourism
In addition to the logistical issue, the new highway should have a positive impact on the economy, especially in the transport and tourism sector.
According to Dagnor Schneider, president of the Federation of Cargo Transport Companies of Santa Catarina (Fetrancesc), “the collapse of the current road network causes the sector to lose productivity, increasing transport costs by more than one million reais per year”.
This directly affects the ports of Itajaí, Navegantes and Itapoá, in addition to harming tourism in the popular coastal cities of Santa Catarina.
With the new road, the expectation is that the flow of cargo and tourists will be optimized, relieving BR-101 and allowing the local economy to grow more quickly.
“Via Mar will be fundamental in giving Santa Catarina the infrastructure needed to move large volumes through our ports”, adds Ricardo Grando.
Partnerships and possible tolls
During the signing ceremony, Governor Jorginho Mello was asked about the possibility of tolls on the new highway.
He made it clear that there is no intention to install tolls on existing highways, but did not rule out charging Via Mar.
The project, which will be made possible through public-private partnerships, aims to attract investors interested in building and operating the new highway axis.
“The government will pay for the executive projects and, later, put them on the market so that investors can carry out this work”, stated the governor, highlighting that the new highway will be an alternative to BR-101, which can no longer support the current volume of traffic in the Itajaí Valley.
The future of mobility in Santa Catarina
the investment of $ 7 billion The construction of this highway is part of a larger effort by the Santa Catarina government to improve the state's transport infrastructure.
O Good Road Program, which includes more than 40 works, includes this new highway as one of the main initiatives to strengthen the flow of cargo and facilitate the transit of tourists.
The environmental studies required for the licensing of the work began in October 2024, and the process of hiring companies to begin the works is already underway.
Via Mar emerges as an ambitious and necessary solution to the logistical challenges of Santa Catarina, a region that suffers from the overload of the BR-101. With that, the question remains: Will this new highway really bring the expected transformation to the state?
It will be opened in 100 years.
You're being optimistic, huh?
It will be very beautiful
If the work is as poorly done as the design, we're screwed.
I noticed that too!!
There is a curved viaduct that leads nowhere!!
Perfect public work, connecting nothing to nowhere! In that respect the project is spot on!!
We need hundreds of thousands of kilometers of roads and railways. Modernization and construction of new ports and airports. Exploit 10% of the Amazon rainforest in the next 20 years and the Amazon River Delta. Defund the civil service, end job stability, get rid of IBAMA, ICMbio, and other agencies that we see only hinder the country. In the future, when technology is solidified, then we will travel on the roads of heaven that are ready and paved. The most incredible country in the world just needs to get rid of the STATE and the SYSTEM. Only then will we be a free people.
Now we're screwed with this BRICS, Brazil allied with Dictatorships, **** Dictatorships, Iran, China, Vietnam, Cuba, Belarus, etc., a Red bloc, what will become of Brazil???
and they don't build schools for children and young people, what kind of parents are these??