At the inauguration of the Brazil-Paraguay International Integration Bridge, in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, on the border with the neighboring country, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva lamented that there are countries that, instead of building bridges, build walls. “There are people who want to wage war so as not to allow others to go over to their side. We here, South Americans, Paraguayans and Brazilians, want to tell the world that we are for peace.”
The Integration Bridge is 760 meters long and has a clearance of 470 meters, the largest on the continent, in addition to two simple lanes each 3.6 meters wide. The bridge connects Foz do Iguaçu to the Paraguayan city of Presidente Franco.
Lula said that the president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, will inaugurate part of the work in the neighboring country on Saturday (20). The Brazilian president guaranteed the presence of teams from the Federal Police (PF), the Federal Highway Police (PRF) and the Federal Revenue Service. He explained that the gradual implementation of traffic is related to the infrastructure on the Paraguayan side.
Lula stated that there is enthusiasm for both countries because the route will enable increased trade. “Billions of dollars will be transferred in the interest of the Brazilian economy and in the interest of the Paraguayan economy”, stated Lula.
Investment
The cable-stayed structure is supported by two 190-meter-high towers, the equivalent of buildings with approximately 54 floors. The work, which received resources from the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC), had an investment of R$ 1.9 billion from both countries and will have traffic released gradually. In this first phase, for unloaded trucks in both directions.
The work was financed by the Brazilian government with resources from Itaipu Binacional in the order of R$712 million. Of this total, R$372 million was allocated to the construction of the cable-stayed bridge, while R$340 million was invested in the Perimetral Leste works until November 2025.
The government explained that the model was tripartite, with the participation of the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (DNIT) as the owner body. The government of Paraná was the executor and Itaipu Binacional was responsible for transferring the resources.
The structure became a strategic priority, integrated into the PAC, in 2012. Bidding notices were launched in 2012 and 2014, in addition to conducting the entire environmental licensing process and engineering projects that resulted in the environmental license issued by Ibama in February 2017.
After the institutional structuring that defined Itaipu as the financing agent in 2018, construction began in 2019 until physical completion in October 2023.
The event marked the delivery of the second road link over the Paraná River between the two nations, six decades after the inauguration of the Friendship Bridge. Today, the only road connection between the two countries in the region receives a daily flow of 100,000 people and 45,000 vehicles, according to the Federal Revenue Service.
Brazil–Paraguay Integration Bridge – Photo: Ricardo Stuckert/PR
The new highway reorganizes the flow of heavy vehicles in the region, contributing to urban mobility and road safety. 14.7 kilometers long, the road connects BR-277 to the bridge, diverting truck traffic from the urban center of Foz do Iguaçu.
According to the federal government, entry into operation will occur gradually to ensure the safety and adaptation of inspection bodies. In the initial stage, the crossing will only be for unloaded trucks, known as “in ballast”, following specific times coordinated by the Federal Revenue Service and Federal Highway Police.
Chartered tour buses will be allowed to travel “soon”. Full release for cargo vehicles is scheduled to occur between the end of 2026 and the beginning of 2027, subject to the completion of the Corridor Metropolitano del Este, on the Paraguayan side, which will guarantee full access infrastructure.
