{"id":60088188,"date":"2025-07-03T18:48:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T17:48:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/?post_type=photo_story&p=60088188"},"modified":"2025-07-07T10:23:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T09:23:56","slug":"china-backed-bridge-stirs-unease-in-brazil","status":"publish","type":"photo_story","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/justice\/china-backed-bridge-stirs-unease-in-brazil\/","title":{"rendered":"China-backed bridge stirs unease in Brazil"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The city of Salvador and the island of Itaparica have been linked for centuries by maritime routes across the Todos os Santos Bay. Situated at the opening of the Atlantic Ocean in Brazil\u2019s north-eastern state of Bahia, the island is known for its natural beauty and ancestral traditions. In 2025, a decades-old plan to connect Salvador and Itaparica via a 12.4-kilometre bridge reached a turning point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conceived of in 1967, the Salvador-Itaparica bridge would become the largest<\/a> in Latin America built over water. But it is only now that the project is finally making progress, with the completion in March of a soil survey<\/a>, an essential stage for installing the pillars on land and at sea. Long sought by the state government, and subject to various delays in the past decade, the project has been revived by Chinese state-owned companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Details of the road system that will accompany the bridge have only just begun to be shared with Itaparica residents \u2013 and are already drawing criticism. Among those residents are traditional fishing and Black communities, as well as quilombola<\/em> residents, who are members of communities formed by the descendants of enslaved African people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the Bahia State Public Prosecutor\u2019s Office (MPBA), an independent legal institution that defends the interests of society by monitoring compliance, has reportedly had trouble accessing<\/a> up-to-date documents on the socio-environmental impacts of the project.\u00a0
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"survey<\/div>
Soil survey activity in Todos os Santos Bay, in preparation for the installation of the bridge\u2019s support pillars (Image: Kiko Silva)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For thousands of people directly affected, the proposal remains a kind of shadow looming over them. \u201cWe only know what we see on TV,\u201d says Ant\u00f4nio Salvador dos Santos, a retired radio broadcaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thirty years ago, Santos bought a small plot of land on Itaparica, some 400 square metres where he planted lemons, tangerines, guavas and a dream: to spend the rest of his life there, with some space for his grandchildren to run around. He assumes his property now lies close to what will form the main access route to the future bridge. But no one has confirmed this to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know they moved the soil because I saw it in the newspaper, and there really was some movement back there,\u201d he says, pointing towards the beach. \u201cBut nobody ever came to present the project, to talk about the route \u2013 neither the government nor the company. Maybe the access road goes through my house, and I don\u2019t know about it.\u201d

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"man<\/div>
Retired radio broadcaster Ant\u00f4nio Salvador dos Santos owns approximately 400 square metres on Itaparica, where he grows lemons, tangerines and guavas. He says he has received overinflated offers for his land from real estate speculators (Image: Camilo Lobo<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"aerial<\/div>
The proposed site for the bridge\u2019s access road on Itaparica. Santos fears the route will pass through his property (Image: Camilo Lobo<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Santos says the only people who have come knocking on his door in recent months have been real estate speculators, interested in buying the land. \u201cThey\u2019ve already offered 200,000 reais [USD 36,600], but I know it\u2019s not worth all that. In other words, it\u2019s something to be wary of,\u201d he adds. Santos says that land speculation is putting pressure on the island, which is still home to preserved areas of the Atlantic Forest and a rich biodiversity.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slow crossing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At 246 square kilometres, Itaparica is one of Brazil\u2019s largest sea islands. In the centre of Todos os Santos Bay, the island\u2019s north-eastern side faces Salvador \u2013 Bahia\u2019s state capital \u2013 while its south-western point is connected to the mainland by the 665-metre-long Funil bridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those travelling from Salvador to the south of Bahia are faced with either a 150-kilometre drive around the bay, or a passage involving a ferry to Itaparica, before crossing the island to reach the state\u2019s main artery, the BR-101 motorway, via the Funil. This bridge has become one of the main connections within the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the condition of the ferry system, set up in 1970<\/a>, is deteriorating. Dialogue Earth embarked on this 50-minute journey and witnessed obsolete terminals and ageing boats with unusable toilets. Furthermore, during periods of high demand, the queue of cars for the ferry often exceeds four hours<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"cars<\/div>
To avoid a 150-kilometre drive around Todos os Santos Bay, Bahians currently rely on the 50-minute ferry crossing between Itaparica and Salvador. But the service is lacking: obsolete terminals, ageing boats, unusable toilets, and long queues at peak times (Image: Camilo Lobo<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Bahian government has been trying to get the bridge\u2019s construction off the ground since 2009, when the project was officially launched. Since then, however, it has moved slowly, due to the difficulty of attracting investors, its technical complexity and environmental obstacles.

The bridge, the government argues, is fundamental for integrating different regions of Bahia, as well as boosting tourism to the state\u2019s southern coast. It says the work would also help attract investment<\/a> in sectors including industry, commerce and the property market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Chinese-led project<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The construction of the Salvador-Itaparica project is now being carried out through a public-private partnership (PPP<\/a>), in which the private company responsible is remunerated by both government contributions and tariffs paid by users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, the Salvador-Itaparica Bridge Concessionaire (CPSI<\/a>) tender was awarded to<\/a> a consortium of two Chinese state-owned enterprises: the China Railway 20th Bureau Group Corporation (CRCC20) and the China Construction Communications Company (CCCC).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the 2010s, China has played a leading role in major infrastructure projects in Latin America, including Brazil, through loans and the local operations of its state-owned companies. In recent years, however, investments of this type have fallen. The Salvador-Itaparica bridge bucks this trend: two Chinese giants leading a major PPP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
Recommended<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/a>\n\n\n\n

Tulio Cariello, from the Brazil-China Business Council, says Chinese interest in Brazil persists, but factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic and China’s economic downturn have reduced the volume of foreign investment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBrazil has infrastructure and logistics bottlenecks. China has money and competitive companies. So, there will always be interest,\u201d Cariello adds. \u201cSometimes, what these companies don\u2019t have are good projects that are worth investing in for the long term. They certainly realise that the bridge project has potential.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2020, a BRL 7.6 billion (USD 1.4 billion) contract was signed<\/a> with the consortium for the construction and operation of the bridge system. The designated public contribution is BRL 1.5 billion. However, the global rise<\/a> in construction costs caused by Covid-19 led both the government and consortium to lobby for contract revisions. In February this year, the Bahia court of auditors authorised<\/a> contract amendments to the project\u2019s costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"road<\/div>
This motorway on Itaparica will be incorporated into the bridge works, expanding to receive the extra traffic generated by the bridge and its dedicated connecting motorway, named Variante (Image: Camilo Lobo<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This revised agreement, signed<\/a> in June, also added another year to the construction period and cut a year from the concession period. As a result, the value of the contract fell to BRL 6.9 billion<\/a> but the public contribution figure more than doubled to BRL 3.7 billion. In addition, the state will pay the franchisee to run the completed project via regular instalments over 29 years, totalling BRL 5.1 billion. This brings the project\u2019s total cost to the public purse to approximately BRL 8.8 billion (USD 1.6 billion).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the original companies in the consortium, CRCC20, will now be replaced by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), which belongs to the same group. It will work alongside CCCC. All are Chinese state-owned companies. In a statement to Dialogue Earth, the CPSI assured that this replacement would not affect the management of the consortium. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As well as the bridge, the project includes roadworks in Salvador and Itaparica. Among them is the Variante, a new 18-kilometre motorway that would receive traffic from the Salvador-Itaparica bridge, cutting directly across the middle of the island to then join an existing road before the Funil bridge. It is from this set of roadworks that the main questions arise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Worse than the bridge is the road\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Variations of this statement about the Variante road were shared with Dialogue Earth by eight Itaparica residents: fishers, traders, quilombolas<\/em>, Indigenous people and shellfish gatherers, all born and living on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are fears regarding the route of the road, which will cut through areas that host the Atlantic Forest, mangroves, wetlands and wildlife refuges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ruins<\/div>
The remains of Nosso Senhor da Vera Cruz church are one of many sacred ancestral spaces on Itaparica that could be impacted by the Variante motorway (Image: Camilo Lobo<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"indigenous<\/div>
The filmmaker and fisher Rafael Carvalho is a member of Itaparica\u2019s Indigenous Tupinamb\u00e1 community. He says the Variante will impact forests, rivers and mangroves on the island \u2013 and therefore livelihoods, too (Image: Camilo Lobo<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"woman<\/div>
Rita de C\u00e1ssia dos Santos is a local trader and shellfish gatherer. She says it has already become harder to find oysters due to urbanisation, and fears this could get worse (Image: Camilo Lobo<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe make our living from the sea, because there is this forest, these rivers, which are interconnected with our mangroves. A road with heavy vehicles in the middle of it is a tragedy,\u201d says Rafael Carvalho, a filmmaker and fisher, and the president of the Itaparica Association of Residents, Fishermen and Shellfish Gatherers. \u201cThis is where the estuaries and sacred ancestral spaces are,\u201d adds Carvalho, who is a member of the Indigenous Tupinamb\u00e1 community.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The local trader and shellfish gatherer Rita de C\u00e1ssia dos Santos shares these concerns. She says her mother raised her among the mangroves, recalling how she used to emerge \u201cloaded with oysters\u201d. Santos says it is harder to find oysters today, due to urbanisation. \u201cIf they move [the road] there, it\u2019s over,\u201d she warns.

Isa\u00edas Concei\u00e7\u00e3o is a former fisher who now owns a bar on Itaparica\u2019s Baiacu waterfront, where much of the island\u2019s fishing activity is concentrated. \u201cEverything here is a nursery,\u201d he says. \u201cEveryone knows that our springs are on this side [of the coast].\u201d

The preliminary licence<\/a> for the bridge\u2019s construction, granted in 2016 and renewed in 2022, was based on an environmental impact study and the resulting report (EIA\/Rima<\/a>), a mandatory step for licensing such projects. The environmental data for this study was collected between 2013 and 2014. The study flagged impacts for Itaparica that included damage to its protected areas, such as the Baiacu Ecological Park and the Itaparica Island Ecological Reserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"map<\/div>
(Data source: V&S Ambiental \/ NEMUS<\/a>; Map: Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In an opinion<\/a> finalised in October 2024, the Bahia State Public Prosecutor\u2019s Office warned of flaws in the EIA. For example, a lack of clarity regarding the construction work, which could result in unforeseen or poorly assessed socio-environmental impacts. Furthermore, it points out that the environmental data used in the study will be at least 16 years old by the time the bridge is completed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dialogue Earth spoke to Cristina Seixas, a Bahia state prosecutor who has been following the project for more than a decade: \u201cWe\u2019ve asked for updated data and the project plans many times, but we\u2019ve had no response. I\u2019m very worried, because now they\u2019re seeking the implementation licence, but the way it is, there\u2019s no way this project can go ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just a bridge, it\u2019s a system that affects Salvador, the island and dozens of towns.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response, the CPSI says complementary EIA\/Rima analyses have been made, including a forest inventory, consultations with communities and an assessment of conservation areas. The group says its studies were validated by the authorities and form the basis of the project\u2019s basic environmental plan. The plan is another mandatory step in the licensing process, designed to outline the mitigatory and compensatory measures in place for environmental impacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"aerial<\/div>
The Baiacu Ecological Park is one of two protected areas on the island that could be impacted by the Variante road. Experts consulted by Dialogue Earth warn of flaws in the project\u2019s environmental impact study, including the age of the data it references (Image: Camilo Lobo<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Dialogue Earth requested access to the project\u2019s basic environmental plan, but received no response. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dialogue Earth consulted Bahia state\u2019s civil secretary, Afonso Florence, who is monitoring the project for the government. He acknowledges that the impact studies and mitigation proposals need to be updated, and does not rule out changing the route of the bypass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to resume analysing all the considerations, whether from the communities or from the public prosecutor\u2019s office, improve the conditions and the mitigation plan to make the project better, more robust and more sustainable,\u201d says Florence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lack of prior consultation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In March, the Bahia state government published an ordinance with guidelines for the public consultation. This is expected to take place across 60 days from the first public hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concessionaire claims the relevant communities were consulted. However, public meetings<\/a> with the local population only began on 16 June. According to local leaders, the project is not yet compliant with the International Labour Organization\u2019s Convention 169<\/a>. This agreement, to which Brazil is a signatory, guarantees traditional populations the right to free, prior and informed consultation and consent on any initiative that affects their territories and ways of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)<\/strong><\/span>
\n

FPIC is about allowing people to give or withhold consent for projects that may affect them. Its main and original focus is Indigenous peoples, but it is also considered best practice for local communities of all kinds. FPIC is enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the International Labour Organization\u2019s Convention 169.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

After just two meetings, the process is already facing criticism. \u201cThey\u2019re calling this a prior consultation, but it needs to be free and informed, and respect the community\u2019s own timeline,\u201d says Carvalho. \u201cThey come into the territory, take a few people and hold meetings in private spaces. There\u2019s no public notice, and we don\u2019t have access to the schedule. We do not accept this kind of consultation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems like the island is just a shortcut between Salvador and the interior of the state, but we\u2019re the ones impacted<\/blockquote>Mois\u00e9s dos Palmares, Candombl\u00e9 member of Terreiro do Sil\u00eancio<\/cite><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Quilombo do Terer\u00e9 is one of the cultural and religious African-descendent communities of Itaparica that is threatened by evictions, violation of its sacred sites, demolitions and environmental degradation. That is according to an impact study<\/a> of the Salvador-Itaparica project that was commissioned by the government itself, and later accessed by The Intercept Brasil, a news outlet.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Candombl\u00e9<\/p>

An African-Brazilian religion that emerged among the enslaved African communities of Brazil during the 19th century<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A native of the island, Mois\u00e9s dos Palmares is a Candombl\u00e9 member of Terreiro do Sil\u00eancio, a religious space within the Quilombo do Terer\u00e9. He questions the deadline for the ordinance: \u201cThere are hundreds of traditional communities on the island … is this process going to be completed in 60 days?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basic services on the island \u201care already terrible\u201d, according to Palmares. \u201cIn the summer, running out of water and electricity is routine. We don\u2019t have basic sanitation. With the bridge, the island will become another neighbourhood of Salvador, but where\u2019s the infrastructure? It seems like the island is just a shortcut between Salvador and the interior of the state, but we\u2019re the ones impacted.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without mentioning a deadline, secretary Florence says Bahia state and federal public prosecutors are discussing a conduct adjustment agreement. It is hoped this agreement will overcome pending issues, such as free, prior and informed consent, and the commissioning of additional impact studies. According to Florence, the consultations will be carried out in compliance with the International Labour Organization\u2019s Convention 169.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impacts for Salvador<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For Paulo Ormindo, an architect, urban planner and former Federal University of Bahia professor, one of the least debated impacts of this project is mobility in Salvador. The city is home to 2.4 million people and already has serious traffic problems and public transport access issues. According to Ormindo, the capital is not ready to absorb the increased flow of vehicles that the bridge will bring. He warns it risks a \u201croad collapse\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ormindo also says the bridge will expand Salvador\u2019s metropolitan axis, which he thinks could increase the demand for services to a level that the city\u2019s infrastructure cannot currently manage: \u201cItaparica will become an urban extension of Salvador, in addition to the other cities that will be closer, and the impact of this has not been planned for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"aerial<\/div>
The port and ferry terminal in Salvador where the main bridge access route will be built. Experts say this development will add unsustainable pressure to services in the city and exacerbate serious existing traffic problems (Image: Camilo Lobo<\/a> \/ Dialogue Earth)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ormindo is advocating for a road-rail system around the bay instead. It would bypass the island and connect to the road system after the Funil bridge, and allow for cargo to be transported by rail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concessionaire argued to Dialogue Earth that the project will boost the economies of more than 250 municipalities in Bahia, which will benefit more than 70% of the state\u2019s population. \u201cThis is a project that will improve logistics, facilitating the transport of cargo and people, reducing costs and travelling time, and increasing competitiveness by creating new logistics corridors,\u201d it adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the Todos os Santos crossing is recognised as a bottleneck for Bahia\u2019s economy by both its residents and government, the project\u2019s critics argue that overcoming this obstacle should not entail ignoring those who live in the region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to have a future, but we\u2019re being expelled from our own territory,\u201d says Carvalho. \u201cThe bridge may come to pass, but we will resist.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The delayed project could improve links between Salvador and Itaparica, but critics cite socio-environmental risks and imperilled traditional territories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":60088329,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[50039900,50039901],"tags":[510,555,556],"country":[50000021,20000110],"class_list":["post-60088188","photo_story","type-photo_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-justice","category-ocean","tag-china-in-the-world","tag-indigenous-peoples","tag-infrastructure","country-brazil","country-china"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nChina-backed bridge stirs unease in Brazil<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The delayed project could improve links between Salvador and Itaparica, but critics cite socio-environmental risks and imperilled traditional territories\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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