Construction of the Northern Section of Beltway (Rodoanel) to be resumed in SP

According to CBT, tunnels are an essential part of this project due to environmental preservation, road safety and route efficiency

Works on the Northern Section of the São Paulo Beltway will be resumed after being interrupted five years ago. This concession was auctioned in March, to the investment fund Via Appia Infraestrutura, for the amount of BRL 3.4 billion. The company will have three years to complete the works, which should be delivered in June 2026.

In addition to allowing free traffic for large and small vehicles, and relieving traffic in Greater São Paulo, the presence of tunnels will be fundamental for preserving the fauna and flora of important regions of the State, such as Serra da Cantareira State Park, in São Paulo.

The news was especially positive for companies in the tunnel sector, which will be able to follow the resumption of construction of the seven double tunnels that are part of the project. According to engineer Cássio Abeid Moura, ad hoc director of CBT – Brazilian Tunnel Committee, they are an essential part of the project due to their importance in environmental preservation, road safety and the efficiency of the routes on which they will be built.

In this stretch, 12 km of tunnels will be built that will cross the cities of São Paulo, Guarulhos and Arujá. All of them double, with three lanes and shoulder, whose approximate dimensions are 20m in diameter, 10.5m in height with a rock section of around 200m2.

The expertise of Cássio Moura in this type of work provides a good background experience, the engineer worked in the control and treatment of infiltrations in the tunnels of Lots 2, 3 and 5 of the North Beltway. Of the seven tunnels in the project, two were already finished when the works were stopped in 2018. The rest were left at different stages of execution.

“Some were abandoned without secondary cladding, making it necessary to hire a contractor on an emergency basis to carry out reinforcement works during the stoppage”, explains Moura. Other tunnels were still in the final stages of excavation and had their work interrupted.

According to Cássio, the biggest challenge will be to find out what the real condition of these works is and what kind of maintenance they received during the downtime. “Usually, when works are interrupted at this stage, there is deterioration in structures, especially works of art. In the case of tunnels, there may be infiltration, problems with drainage and others of a geo-structural nature.
Therefore, it will be necessary to carefully review all these works”, advises Cássio Moura.

By: Santelmo Camilo