Roadrings East segment should cost US$ 2.9 billion
Valor Econômico
The East segment of the São Paulo Roadring should be the most expensive one ever built, an investment of R$ 4 billion (US$ 2.3 billion), and it should be borne by the company that wins the public bid of the South segment, under the final stage of construction. The West segment has a cost of R$ 1.4 billion (US$ 478 million) at prices of 2002, and the South one's is R$ 3.6 billion (US$ 1.48 billion), at values of 2005. Yesterday, the Government detailed the project in a public hearing in the capital of São Paulo, for a crowd of nearly 200 interested parties.
During the 35 years of grant of the two segments, an investment of R$ 5 billion (US$ 2.9 billion) will be required. The earnings from tolls in the period, on their turn, is estimated at R$ 26.8 billion (US$ 15.6 billion). The expectation of the Government is to be able to publish, in February, the bidding rules and receive, until April, the offers and execute the contract in July this year. Altogether, 103.7 kilometers of highways will be granted, 61.4 kilometers of South part and 42.3 kilometers of the East part that will connect the Ayrton Senna and the Dutra highways, beginning in the municipality of Mauá.
The biggest cost will come from the works of the new segment that will demand R$ 2.8 billion (US$ 1.63 billion). The expenditure with land condemnation, on its turn, is estimated at R$ 1.1 billion (US$ 639.5 million). It will be necessary to condemn a total area of 743 hectares, and most of the affected buildings, 1,071 altogether, are located in urban areas (72%). The rest of the investments, nearly R$ 1 billion (US$ 581.4 million), shall be made in conservation and operation systems.
Interested parties present at the hearing were concerned with the risk of variation of costs, since the land condemnation should be made by the future concessionaire. The Government has not expressed the intention of undertaking the expenses above the estimated in the EIA-Rima (Environmental Impact Assessment / Environmental Impact Report) and claimed the costs shall not significantly exceed the estimates presented. According to Mauro Arce, Secretary of Transports of the State, the companies may even come to the conclusion they will spend less.
The company or consortium that offers the lowest toll rate, considering a ceiling of R$ 6 (US$ 3.5) for the South segment and R$ 4.5 (US$ 2.6) for the East one, will win the bidding. The value, nearly R$ 0.10 per kilometer, is the same of the last concessions in the State. The discount in the rate shall be equal in both segments. The public bid will be carried out according to the inverted model in which first the toll rate proposals will be disclosed and then the technical part will be examined.
The grant, payment to the Government used in prior concessions as a criterion for the bid, is fixed at the value of R$ 370 million (US$ 215.1 million), to be paid at the time of the execution of the contract. A variable grant of 3% of the operational earnings of the concessionaire will be charged and its value will be intended to cover the expenditure of the Transportation Agency of the State of São Paulo (Artesp) with inspection. The Government estimates that an average of 257 thousand vehicles will go through the toll plazas of the roads. The toll in the South segment may start being charged still this year, should the contract be signed within the foreseen time set. The East segment, on its turn, should be completed within 30 months after the execution of the contract. The State has even considered the possibility of initially including the construction of the North segment in this bidding, but, according to Arce, the idea was ruled out because the project of the North segment has not been defined yet.