Operator informs that the project costs R$1 billion and is a priority of the Federal Government
Augusto Diniz – Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
It is in the hands of the National Agency of Land Transportation (ANTT), waiting for approval, the project of the ne way down from Serra das Araras, in Rodovia Dutra (BR-116). The CCR Nova Dutra consortium, which operates the highway and has prepared the project informs that the construction work will cost R$1 billion. According to the studies, the new way down from the hills will be built following the design of the current upward lane. Construction work will take place on the left hand of those driving upwards in the Rio-São Paulo direction.
According to Virgílio André Ramos Leocadio, Assistance Manager of the Rio de Janeiro stretch of CCR Nova Dutra, the project is deemed a priority by the Federal Government. “Over 50% of the national economy in some way passes on Dutra highway”, states he. “Due to that, long-distance traffic demands attention.”
He explains that the project has been “redesigned”. Initially, the idea was to duplicate the way down, which was inaugurated in 1928. However, the rather curvy drawing and inexistence of shoulders in several stretches made the CCR consortium choose another solution.
“The drawing will be different from that of the lane leading upwards. Some drawings will have to be redone. There will be a 400 m tunnel. He explains that the initial studies of the current project had a longer tunnel. The new upward lane will be 8.9 km long.
The outskirts of Rio de Janeiro city
The road cuts the outskirts of the city of Rio de Janeiro, the so-called Baixada Fluminense, going through five municipalities, which stood for another challenge CCR Nova Dutra has to face. However, this one has already been dealt with through improvements the operator has been making for some time in an attempt to ease the traffic in the road.
At least R$200 million have been invested in the stretch to build the marginal lanes, but other construction works will come within the R$3 billion package of projects including several interventions along the 402 km long road, which is also waiting for ANTT’s approval. “There are contractual construction works (in the concession) and other new ones”, says Virgílio. “Those projects will strongly impact on the surrounding areas”.
The Dutra highway, in its stretch in the outskirts of the city of Rio de Janeiro, is quite dense and absorbs the traffic of 170 thousand vehicles/day. Heavy traffic is unavoidable for several hours any day of the week. “They use the highway as an avenue. Some 90% is not road traffic in the stretch along that region”, he reports.
Consequently, CCR has extended the marginal lanes of the highway in order to take from its central axle the vehicles that are not traveling long distances. The increase represented occupying the whole area legally protected, which is just 60m long. “The ideal would be to have 90 m”, says that manager.
However, the chaotic occupation on the margins of the highway has created difficulties. “This is a huge problem which even involves working next to houses’ walls”, he mentions. Although the stretch of Dutra Highway in the outskirts of São Paulo also is highly populated, occupations on its margins usually involve stores and industrial warehouses. Additionally, the area legally protected is 120m long, which eases the operation and any construction work at those stretches, differently from in Baixada Fluminense – it is worth stressing that the stretch in the outskirts of São Paulo, in Guarulhos, is also having its marginal roads widened.
There already are marginal roads in the stretch of Baixada Fluminense from km 166.5 as far as km 176 (RJ-SP direction). The CCR’s project undergoing procedural steps at ANTT disposes widening marginal roads in both directions as far as km 182.5, at Viaduto das Posses, in Nova Iguaçu. After that, the proposal is to build an additional lane (one in each direction) as far as Queimados (km 190).
There is also a project to complement the marginal lanes in the stretch of Dutra Highway in Rio de Janeiro located at the access to Linha Vermelha and Brasil Avenue. In spite of the construction of Dutra’s marginal roads in Baixada Fluminense, Virgílio explains that the solution involves the need to create an interconnection between the municipalities in the region with Rio’s main roads.
Dwellers of Baixada Fluminense could choose to take the Via Light, but CCR manager says that it has no access to the city of Rio de Janeiro. Recently inaugurated, the Arco Rodoviário which links Dutra Highway, before reaching Baixada Fluminense, to the port of Itaguaí and BR-040 and BR-101, “already has a positive impact in the region’s traffic”, says Virgílio, but he says that it is still missing to measure those effects better.
One last option would be building Transbaixada, a government’s future project to connect the region. “It would also be important to create another mode of transportation to remove busses from the roads”, reminds us that manager. Currently there are three jobsites in Baixada Fluminense to widen lanes and reinforce structures.
This month (August) two more jobsites will be implemented. However, the most important work related to crossing rivers today is the one at the Dutra Highway, in the stretch in Rio de Janeiro, between the municipalities of Resende and Porto Real. A new 200m long bridge is being built and completion has been scheduled for the beginning of 2015. There are projects to widen the crosses until 2020 in the road”, reports Virgílio.
Fonte: Revista O Empreiteiro