The notice of concession of stretches of highways on the coast of São Paulo, launched on May 14 by the government of the state of São Paulo, has its auction scheduled for September this year. The notice that received the name of “Paulista Coast Lot” comprises 222 km of highways that cut through 12 municipalities and connect the south coast to the capital São Paulo. New sections are also part of the concession.
It is estimated that investments in these highways, over the 30 years of concession, sum up to a total of R$3 billion and should be doubled due to construction of additional lanes, shoulder sands and access devices, as well as new pedestrian crossings, walkways and 73 kilometers of bicycle paths. The project prepared by the Transport Agency of the State of São Paulo (Artesp) also includes the Carbon Neutral Program, an attractive element for investors, which aims to neutralize the emission of greenhouse gases by replanting trees and adopting other socio-environmental measures.
However, some peculiarities make the “Paulista Coast Lot” stand out from the rest. Unlike what commonly occurs on highways, the toll fee will be directly linked to the distance traveled by the user. The demand risk sharing mechanism is also expressly stipulated, providing that over a four-year period a variation above the 12% level in the estimated demand, for higher or lower, automatically generates an obligation for compensation.
