Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
7 min of reading 
0 comments 
Drivers traveling on BR-163, near the access junction to Guaraciaba, in Santa Catarina, may face between 30 minutes and 1 hour of waiting time over the next 40 days. The National Department of Transport Infrastructure resumed the stop-and-go operation on the elevated section this Monday (11).
The routine for those who live in or pass through the Extremo-Oeste catarinense has changed starting this week. Drivers using BR-163, especially near the access junction to Guaraciaba, should prepare for waits that can range from 30 minutes to 1 hour over the next 40 consecutive days.
The information was confirmed by the National Department of Transport Infrastructure, known by the acronym DNIT, this Monday (11). The agency resumed the operation called stop-and-go on a 24-hour basis in the elevated section between kilometers 84 and 85 of the federal highway, where maintenance services and structural improvements of the ongoing work are taking place.
How the stop-and-go operation works on the section
The system chosen by DNIT to manage traffic flow during the work is well-known to Brazilian drivers who travel frequently. It operates with alternating flow in both directions, with only one lane open at a time, allowing for the orderly passage of vehicles while the other half of the road is reserved for maintenance work.
-
A round house is completed in up to 45 days, reduces costs by up to 30%, and impresses with its triangular structure without rigid divisions.
-
Ready-made tiny houses can be ordered with delivery in 3 to 6 months, cost starting from US$ 17,000, and offer models with a full kitchen, ground-floor bedroom, and even a mezzanine for Airbnb.
-
The Rio-Niterói Bridge is 13.2 km long, has a 300-meter central span, and a system of steel boxes that reduces wind-induced oscillations by 90%; learn the history of one of the world’s largest bridges.
-
New housing construction costs rise 5.8% and the increase in labor pressures the real estate market, INE points out
Human presence is constant throughout the entire execution cycle. The section has adequate signage and on-site teams guiding drivers to ensure the safety of both those passing through and the workers involved in the project, an organization that needs to operate 24 hours a day for the entire 40-day period.
The average waiting time depends on variable factors throughout the day. During peak hours, with intense truck traffic crossing the highway that connects important regions of Southern Brazil, queues can reach a full hour of standstill, a situation that often tests any driver’s patience.
The current forecast indicates the completion of the works in approximately 40 continuous days. The federal agency itself, however, made a point of warning that the schedule may undergo changes if heavy rains or unfavorable weather conditions occur during the execution period, a situation considered common in plateau regions of Southern Brazil.
The exact points of the interdictions and the objective of the works
The intervention takes place at very specific points on the federal highway. The interdictions are concentrated near the so-called Linha Sete and also in the vicinity of the junction that provides access to the neighboring municipality of São José do Cedro, forming a construction zone with a direct impact on two localities.
The main work involves important changes to the local infrastructure. The side road connecting Guaraciaba to São José do Cedro will be completely closed for the construction of a new road near the elevated section, an intervention considered essential to improve traffic flow in the region in the long term.
The elevated section itself is part of an old BR-163 project that had already been executed in previous stages. The federal administration has been working for some time on structural improvements in this specific section, with the expectation that the final result will reduce the traffic problems faced for years by drivers and residents of the region.
The combination of maintenance and complementary road construction shows the effort to resolve the bottleneck once and for all. The schedule demands patience from the immediately affected population but promises to deliver a more robust structure at the end of the process, capable of preventing new long-term stoppages in the short term.
The organization of detours by the city hall
To reduce the impact on those who live or work in Guaraciaba, the city hall organized a series of alternative detours within the municipality itself. The local administration wants to prevent the entire population from getting stuck in the official stop-and-go traffic managed by DNIT, especially during routine commutes between nearby neighborhoods.
Drivers who need to leave Guaraciaba received specific instructions. They should use the cloverleaf interchange towards São José do Cedro, passing through the Santa Terezinha and Turra neighborhoods, with an exit via Linha Sete, an alternative that avoids the central queues of the official stop-and-go traffic.
There is also a second route available to leave the city. The detour through the Novo Lar neighborhood offers another possibility, with access via the main cloverleaf interchange open only to those entering the municipality. This specific organization prevents vehicles going in opposite directions from crossing at critical points of the intervention carried out by the technical team.
Those who need to access Guaraciaba also had to adapt to the new route. The recommended path goes through Linha Sete, crossing the Turra and Santa Terezinha neighborhoods, then following the old Léo Sucos until accessing the side road towards the municipality’s second cloverleaf interchange, a sequence that requires extra attention from the local population.
The specific recommendation for the road next to the Tenda
The city hall made a point of highlighting a specific guideline for local drivers. The road next to the Tenda, a well-known landmark in the city, should not be used by those arriving in Guaraciaba during the period of works on the federal highway.
The rule is clear and was announced along with the alternative scheme. The section of the road next to the Tenda should only be used by those leaving the municipality, an organization created to avoid congestion at points that historically present difficulties during peak hours.
This type of guidance only works if the local population respects the recommendation throughout all 40 days of the intervention. If some drivers insist on using the road in the opposite direction to what is indicated, the expected effect of the organization may be partially compromised, and travel times could become worse than anticipated by the administration.
The combination of guidelines reflects a proactive stance by the city hall in the face of the problem. Instead of simply announcing the federal work, the municipal administration chose to anticipate practical solutions to reduce the impact on the daily routine of the population, a stance that can serve as a model for other municipalities in Santa Catarina during future similar interventions.
Promised improvements in detour sections
The municipal city hall also indicated that it will work to improve the roads used as alternative routes during the construction period. The intention is to prevent drivers from trading stop-and-go queues for bumpy or poorly maintained sections on the official detours provided.
The local administration promised specific interventions on the routes during the next 40 days. The measure seeks to ensure better traffic conditions and greater safety throughout the entire period, a stance that helps justify the choice of alternative routes disclosed to the general public.
For drivers who frequently use BR-163, it’s worth planning ahead. Those who need to travel through the region over the next month and a half can consider departing at alternative times, outside of traditional peak traffic hours, as a strategy to minimize total time lost in queues during the journey.
The combination of federal guidance, municipal organization, and driver attention is what will determine the fluidity or chaos of traffic in the coming weeks. If all parties fulfill their roles as outlined in the released plan, the impact of the BR-163 works could remain within the announced limit of up to 1 hour of waiting, without escalating to more critical situations.
The relevance of BR-163 for the Far West of Santa Catarina
The importance of this highway for the regional economy helps explain why patience becomes a keyword during the construction period. BR-163 connects important productive hubs in Southern Brazil, especially in the agribusiness sector, and any interruption has a direct effect on cargo transport.
Trucks carrying agricultural products, cattle, milk, fuel, and various goods cross this section every day. When the road operates in alternating one-way traffic, transport times increase significantly, and logistical costs can be passed on to the final consumer, a situation that particularly impacts perishable goods.
For the economy of Guaraciaba and neighboring cities like São José do Cedro, this impact is especially sensitive. The Far West of Santa Catarina primarily relies on activities linked to agribusiness, and any delay in the transport chain can affect local competitiveness against other productive hubs in the country.
The expectation, however, is that the current investment will generate positive results in the medium term. The new complementary road and improvements to the overpass promise to bring greater safety, fluidity, and stability to the BR-163 stretch in this region, conditions that benefit both private drivers and professional cargo transport drivers on regular trips through Southern Brazil.
And you, do you live or work in Guaraciaba and daily face the stop-and-go stretch of BR-163, or do you usually cross this highway during long trips through Southern Brazil? Do you believe that the 40-day schedule released by DNIT will be met without major delays?
Tell us in the comments if you agree with how the city hall organized the detours through the Santa Terezinha, Turra, and Novo Lar neighborhoods, if you think the federal investment will indeed solve the historical bottleneck of the stretch, and how you imagine these 40 days of work will affect the daily lives of residents in the Extreme West of Santa Catarina. The discussion helps to understand how the people of the region view the promised improvements on a highway so important for current transportation and the local economy of Santa Catarina.
Be the first to react!