Case Study: Paving Works - Brazilian Access to the International Bridge over the Paraguay River

Abstract: The Bioceanic Corridor is a strategic initiative aimed at connecting the central region of Brazil, particularly the city of Campo Grande/MS, to the northern ports of Chile, passing through Paraguay and Argentina. This infrastructure project seeks to create an alternative and more efficient route for the transportation of goods, fostering economic development, regional integration, and tourism. Additionally, it offers the opportunity to significantly reduce the time and logistics costs of Brazilian exports and imports to Asian markets.
The Bioceanic Corridor provides a new export route for various Brazilian products, notably: agribusiness, iron ore, biofuels, wood and cellulose, and industrial and manufactured products. In addition to trade, the Bioceanic Corridor has great potential for tourism development in the region.
Regarding transportation logistics, currently, Brazilian products destined for Asia are exported through southeastern ports such as Santos and Paranaguá. With the Bioceanic Corridor, it is estimated that there could be a reduction of up to 8 days in the transportation of goods to Chilean ports, due to geographic proximity and faster land routes. This reduction in transportation distance, combined with more agile customs and shipping processes, could result in up to a 15% reduction in total logistics costs.
Given its importance, a Binational Agreement between Brazil and Paraguay was signed, aiming at the construction of an international bridge over the Paraguay River, on the Brazil-Paraguay border. The Brazilian Government is responsible for building the 13.63 km road access on the Brazilian side to the international bridge, with a pavement platform width of 14.20 meters. This section will be constructed entirely on embankments, with an estimated volume of over 1.4 million cubic meters of gravel, the implementation of an 80-meter-long overpass, and the construction of six additional bridges, totaling 1,360 meters of bridges and overpasses.
This is a region with significant geotechnical and environmental challenges, as it is located within the Pantanal biome. The area has soils with low bearing capacity, a scarcity of materials for earthworks, difficulty in sourcing stone materials, and is far from major urban centers. Additionally, the project area is situated in a floodplain of the Paraguay River, which has very flat and unique characteristics, complicating its hydraulic modeling.
Furthermore, the project includes the construction of over 13,000 meters of wildlife-conducting fences to protect animals in the Pantanal region and minimize wildlife-vehicle collisions. Additionally, a 25.6-hectare area is designated for customs and immigration control, with more than 10,700 square meters of space to house border control institutions.
The project is budgeted at R$472 million (US$87 million) and is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2026.
The objective of this study is to demonstrate the progress of the works, the technical challenges, and the engineering solutions being implemented in both the design and execution of the paving and road construction for the Brazilian access to the international bridge.