At the Mercosur Summit, president of Paraguay compares opening of the Integration Bridge in Paraná with the Strait of Hormuz: 'It was even more difficult'

President of Paraguay compares opening of the Integration Bridge in Paraná
The president of Paraguay Santiago Peña stated that the opening of the Brazil-Paraguay Integration Bridge, between Foz do Iguaçu, in the west of Paraná, and Presidente Franco, in the neighboring country, required an effort "even more difficult" than the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most strategic maritime routes in the world and which was under restrictions due to the conflict between Iran and United States. Currently, the canal is gradually reopening.
The declaration was made this Tuesday (30), during the Mercosur Summit, in Asunción, in the presence of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the other heads of state of the bloc - with the exception of Argentine Javier Milei.
The bridge mentioned by Penã took more than 30 years to get off the ground. See the history below.
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"The Integration Bridge is a beautiful reality [of integration], but a reality that cost us a lot. I believe that opening the passage through the bridge was even more difficult than opening the Strait of Hormuz. A truly enormous effort", he stated.
The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and is one of the main oil transport routes in the world. After military attacks in the region in February, navigation was compromised in the region, which increased tension in the international energy market. In recent weeks, Iran and the US signed a preliminary agreement to reduce hostilities and resume negotiations.
The Integration Bridge mentioned by the president was inaugurated in December last year. The structure still works partially and has traffic restrictions. Currently, only the passage of trucks is authorized.
When commenting on integration between Mercosur countries, Peña said that the success of infrastructure works must be measured by the impact on the lives of the population.
"We need to measure the success of integration as the improvement in the quality of life of people, of the humblest citizen, of the family that crosses the border without wasting a whole morning in line", he said.
Lula and Peña met at the Mercosur Summit, where they spoke about the Integration Bridge
Presidency of Paraguay
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Bridge operates with restrictions
New Brazil-Paraguay bridge
Itaipu Binacional
The Jaime Lerner Integration Bridge was inaugurated in December last year, by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), to connect Foz do Iguaçu to Presidente Franco and relieve traffic from the Friendship Bridge.
Despite being completed six months ago, the crossing still operates gradually. The next stage of opening is scheduled for August 3, when opening times for empty trucks and tourist buses should be extended. It is also planned to release tickets for public transport buses, increasing the use of the bridge by residents of the border region.
The bridge is the second road connection between Brazil and Paraguay in the region, more than 60 years after the inauguration of the Friendship Bridge.
The expectation, according to Itaipu Binacional - which acts as the project's financing agent - is that the structure will help alleviate the intense traffic on the old bridge, considered one of the country's busiest land borders, with a daily circulation of around 100,000 people and 45,000 vehicles. Construction of the Integration Bridge began in the 1990s, but the project only took shape in 2005, with an international agreement that defined the route and attributed technical and financial responsibility for the work to Brazil.
Construction began in August 2019, with completion scheduled for February 2022. The structure was delivered at the end of the Jair Bolsonaro government, but remained closed due to operational obstacles, mainly related to the implementation of customs and access roads to the bridge in both countries.
According to the Department of Highways of Paraná (DER-PR), the delays occurred, mainly, on the Paraguayan side, due to difficulties in the inspection infrastructure. The physical works were completed in October 2023.
Check out the history of the work:
1992 - Brazil and Paraguay sign an Act of Understanding for the construction of the second bridge between the two countries;
1994 - The agreement is approved by the National Congress;
2005 - New international agreement defines the route of the bridge between Foz do Iguaçu and Presidente Franco and assigns the technical and environmental studies, the construction project, to the Brazilian side. engineering and financing of the main structure;
2012 - National Department of Transport Infrastructure (Dnit) publishes the first bidding notice for the construction of the bridge;
2014 - Dnit launches a new notice. Between 2014 and 2017, the agency conducted the integrated contracting of technical projects and the environmental licensing process;
2017 - Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) grants the environmental license;
2018 - Federal Government structures an institutional solution to make the work viable, involving Itaipu Binacional as financing agent;
2022 - Work on the Integration Bridge is delivered, inauguration is scheduled and postponed.
2023 - International Integration Bridge is officially completed in October.
2025 - Inauguration of the work.
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Source: G1