Two foreign groups presented proposals to participate in the auction for the construction of the tunnel that will connect the cities of Santos and Guarujá, on the coast of São Paulo. The companies that will participate in the auction are the Spanish Accio and the Portuguese Mota-Engil. 
The auction takes place next Friday (5), from 16h, at B3, headquarters of the Stock Exchange of São Paulo.
ACCIO is the company currently responsible for the execution of the works of Line Line of the São Paulo Metro. Mota-Engil has recently signed a contract with Petrobras to perform services of Offshore platforms submarine systems.
The auction winner will be responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of the tunnel for a period of 30 years.
With an estimated investment of R $ 6.8 billion, the project will have a public contribution of up to R $ 5.14 billion, also divided between the São Paulo government and the federal government. The rest will be covered by the private initiative.
Tunnel
The Santos-Guarujá tunnel will be the first submerged crossing in Brazil and will be 1.5 kilometer long. Of this total, 870 meters will be immersed, with precast concrete modules installed on the port channel bed.
The project includes three bearing lanes in each direction, one of them adapted for Light Rail Vehicle (VLT), as well as bike path and space for pedestrians and service gallery. The project already has prior environmental license from the São Paulo State Environmental Company (CETESB), issued in August 2025.
According to the Environmental Impact Study and Environmental Impact Report (EIA/RIMA), which was carried out for this venture and presented in July 2024, the tunnel aims to solve a historical bottleneck of mobility between the two municipalities.
Currently, there are two main crossing modes: the 43 km route via Domênico Rangoni Highway, used by commercial vehicles, with an average time of 60 minutes, and the ferry and boat system, used by pedestrians, cyclists and light vehicles, with crossing times ranging from 18 to 60 minutes, depending on the operating conditions of the port.
According to the São Paulo government, more than 28,000 people cross the two margins daily using small boats (Catraias, which are used only by pedestrians) or the ferries. With the tunnel, the time spent on this crossing should fall to about two minutes.
The construction of this tunnel, therefore, should relieve the current crossing system, relieve traffic on the Domênico Rangoni Cônego Highway (SP-055) and increase the flow capacity of the port of Santos, which faces frequent congestion.
Job
For the federal government, the tunnel should “transform urban mobility, stimulate the local economy and directly improve the quality of life of more than 720,000 people living in these two cities.” The government also points out that the work has the potential to generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs, both in the construction phase and in the operation of the tunnel.
“The Santos – Guardujá Tunnel is one of the most emblematic works of the new PAC [Programa de Aceleração do Crescimento] And it marks a new time for urban mobility and the infrastructure of Brazil, which now comes true with the joint effort of federal and state governments. This work will shorten distances, generate jobs, strengthen tourism, streamline the local economy and expand the logistics efficiency of the port of Santos ”, evaluates Port and Airport Minister Silvio Costa Filho.
