One month after the collapse of the Juscelino Kubitschek bridgebetween the cities of Estreito (MA) and Aguiarnópolis (TO), residents of both cities suffer from a drop in economic activity and uncertainty regarding the return to normality. Of the 17 people missing after the bridge collapse, 14 have already been located, three are still missing.
The accident significantly reduced economic activity in the region, where most of the income revolves around road freight transport on the BR-226, especially for the flow of corn and soybean production, coming from states such as Mato Grosso, Pará, Tocantins and Piauí.
The goods and services sectors, such as stores, markets, gas stations and restaurants, were the most impacted. According to businesspeople linked to the Commercial, Industrial, Services and Agribusiness Association of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of Estreito and Region (Acisape), more than 2 thousand trucks passed through the road corridor per day. With the interruption of traffic, around 70% of companies in the region had a negative impact on their activities.
The vice-president of the association, Bernardo Maciel told Brazil Agency that, with the collapse in economic activity, several companies were forced to reduce their activities, lay off employees or even move cities to maintain activities.
“There is a road equipment company, for example, that has rented a warehouse in Balsas – a city in the south of Maranhão – and is transferring its employees so as not to have to lay off employees. There is a truck accessory company that went to Araguaína, as well as the gas station, which cannot be transferred, some are laying off employees”, he reported.
The owner of a construction material store Maciel said that traffic fell by more than 70% and that in other activities, such as fuel sales, the reduction reached 90%.
“To give you an idea, the Minas Gerais gas station, which sold around 50, 40 thousand liters of fuel per day, is now selling 4 to 5 thousand liters at most”, he explained.
The owner of the station Djalma Cinara also confirmed to the report the reduction in sales volume. The impact affects other activities at the station, such as the convenience store.
“We have here with the station, the convenience store has around 75 employees. We have already laid off ten workers and have four more employees on vacation. I believe that, next month, we will settle with about five more, because we cannot keep the employee in the way he is today. Unfortunately, our movement really plummeted. We are trying to reinvent ourselves in order to survive”, said Cinara.
Another company that struggles to remain open offers parts and services for heavy cargo transport vehicles and acts as a dealership.
According to Sebastião Henrique Dório, one of the company’s owners, daily revenue is insufficient to cover expenses and keep the business afloat.
“The impact we are feeling is without parameters, as our daily revenue is no longer able to maintain the cash flow for the company to maintain itself. Our sales counter has been suffering, as it needs 100% of the trucks passing through our door,” he said.
“We are having to take other actions to be able to stop all the damage that this tragedy caused, damaging the lives of so many people and the economy of the municipality. Revenue this month will end with a huge drop, and we urgently need help from the authorities, as the main goal at the moment is not to lay people off. If it continues like this, unfortunately, layoffs will begin to be made”, he added.
Another company is experiencing the same situation, which in addition to operating in the field of parts and accessories for trucks, also provides sales and installation services for air conditioning and climate control for homes, businesses and vehicles. The owner, Tiago Wendler, said that traffic fell by around 80%.
“Monday dawned with just one truck in the yard, then another appeared, but it did not reach 10% of revenue recorded on the same day. If you add my company and my brother’s, we have 77 employees. Of these, we have already given vacations to 21 and when we return, others will go on vacation”, said Wendler when reporting difficulties in paying the bills.
“Since the 22nd [de dezembro do ano passado]which was the day the bridge fell, we paid, I think only five supplier bills. We paid more than 10 bills a day and, from then on, if I’m not mistaken, there were five bills that we were unable to delay. All the money that is coming in is to cover payroll, taxes and commitments to banks which are quite high, we also haven’t managed to get anything yet to help us. With this, we are mobilizing part of the company to Araguaína to see if it can breathe”, he added.
The drop in economic activity affected not only companies focused on providing goods and services linked to road transport. Supermarkets, butchers, grocery stores, clothing stores, among others.
One of them is Albert Pereira’s butcher shop, which saw sales plummet after the bridge collapse. According to him, the movement continued after the accident, but fell, until reaching the 84% reduction recorded last week.
“My biggest consumers were the steakhouses, the restaurants, which are on the banks of BR and today, our probability is that we will buy 90% less and that we will sell 90% less,” he stated.
Orders
Faced with the bleak scenario, associations filed a public civil action asking the government to adopt emergency measures, similar to those applied in extreme situations, such as floods in Rio Grande do Sul, or even the electricity blackout in greater São Paulo, in last year.
Associations are also calling for the creation of an emergency fund to help families affected by the collapse of the bridge, as occurred in Rio Grande do Sul. On that occasion, the federal government instituted financial aid for families paid in two installments in the amount of R$ 1,412, 00, each.
The businesspeople also ask for the opening and renegotiation of credit operations for micro, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in Estreito and Aguiarnópolis, offered to micro and small companies that suffered losses caused by the interruption of electricity supply in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, n state of São Paulo, in October 2024.
On that occasion, the Ministry of Entrepreneurship, Microenterprise and Small Businesses offered lines of credit under special conditions of up to R$150,000.00, limited to up to 60% of the company’s annual gross revenue. Credit was also offered to independent professionals worth up to R$100,000.00.
“We know that the government has emergency measures for these cases, like our case here in Estreito”, Bernardo pointed out. “We need to obtain these resources, just as was done, of course in a different proportion, in Rio Grande do Sul, where the provisional measures are already formalized, made official”, he observed.
Last week the federal government, through the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development (MIDR), announced the transfer of R$ 793 thousand to the municipality of Estreito and R$ 397 thousand to Aguiarnópolis for civil defense actions, aimed at helping to contain the crisis in both cities.
Banco do Nordeste do Brasil announced authorization for working capital operations, with a grace period of up to 24 months, with a total term of 84 months.
Ferries
Residents and businesspeople also demand the implementation of the ferry service to transport people and vehicles. The measure is seen as essential to reduce the impacts of the bridge collapse.
According to the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (Dnit), the company contracted to transport people and light vehicles with ferries is already on site, but depends on licenses to operate. The construction of accesses for docking these vessels depends on adaptations. Transport will be provided free of charge.
“The companies responsible for the maintenance of BR-226/TO/MA are mobilized to meet the requirements of the Brazilian Navy, in the execution of the accesses and docking necessary for the operation of the ferries, which will cross vehicles and pedestrians on the Tocantins River , between Estreito (MA) and Aguiarnópolis (TO)”, said the agency. “It is important to highlight that the ferries come into operation immediately after signing the contract with the company and completing the access and berth works,” stated Dnit.
Yesterday (21), the Dnit reported that it is working on the operation to remove the vehicles that remained on top of the remaining structure of the Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira Bridge, which connects Estreito (MA) to Aguiarnópolis (TO).
According to the municipality, technicians are working to adapt the conditions of the bridge meeting on the Aguiarnópolis side, where trucks and passenger cars travel. The action will allow vehicles to pass through the site.
“After completing the preliminary work on the remaining structure, the teams will remove the box trailer (type of cargo transport vehicle) closest to the bridge exit and then the other vehicles. Dnit expects to complete the operation by the end of this week.”
Searches
The search for the three missing people continues to be carried out using boats and aerial drones. The dives were suspended due to the increase in the flow volume of the Tocantins River due to the opening of the floodgates at the Estreito hydroelectric plant. During this period, they continue to use aerial drones and vessels.
