By PortalPortuario Editorial Staff
Access for pedestrians to the cruise terminal of the Port of Santos, other port terminals in the Outeirinhos neighborhood, and even to the image of Nossa Senhora de Fátima, a Catholic pilgrimage site in Santos, has become safer. The Santos Port Authority (APS) and the Managing Association of the Internal Railway of the Port of Santos (AG-FIPS) have inaugurated a pedestrian footbridge at the site.
The “Santa Footbridge” passes over Avenida Eng. Sérgio da Costa Matte (perimeter road) and the railway line, connecting Praça de Outeirinhos, located next to Avenida Senador Dantas, to Avenida Cândido Gaffré (internal port road), next to the Giusfredo Santini cruise terminal (Concais).
According to the president of APS, Anderson Pomini, the project brings dignity to the people who make the crossing and represents the union of everyone. “This footbridge is a symbol of an action that connects the Port to the city, a sign of joint work between the municipality, the Port, and the community,” he stated.
The delivery represents another connection between the city of Santos and the port area. The handover ceremony for the project took place at the square of the Nossa Senhora de Fátima statue. The site is a Catholic pilgrimage point, with processions held on the 13th of each month. This is a public that will also be served, along with thousands of tourists who access the cruise terminal, numerous workers from the port terminals in the region, and public transport users, who will be able to cross the road more safely to access bus stops in both directions.
This is the fourth elevated crossing to be delivered by the Port of Santos recently, another result of the concession of the internal railway and the policy of integration and promotion of the Port-City relationship.
The CEO of AG-FIPS, João Almeida, said he was fulfilled with the delivery of the footbridge. “I was bothered to see tourists having to carry their suitcases to cross the tracks,” he said. Almeida stated that next month another pedestrian footbridge should be delivered, in the region of the Municipal Market.
Representing the mayor of Santos, Rogério Santos, the municipal secretary of Port Affairs and Employment, Bruno Orlandi, also highlighted the deliveries of footbridges and other works that directly benefit the city’s residents. “It is a large investment portfolio that promotes the Port-City relationship, an excellent partnership between the City Hall, APS, and AG-FIPS.”
The representative of the Concais Terminal, Javier Carnevale, Operations Manager, pointed out the care of the Port’s management for people. “A demonstration of how the Port of Santos works with details that make a difference, such as the safety of tourists who on this footbridge begin their dream trip,” he said.
The new footbridge is 426 meters long, with an 80-meter central span and approximately 115 meters on each of the three ramps (Senador Dantas side, perimeter side, and Cândido Gaffré side). It consists of 52 tons of metallic structure, approximately 77.5 tons of steel, and almost 620 cubic meters of concrete. The investment is about R$ 20 million from AG-FIPS, as the railway concessionaire.
In addition to the positive impact on the Port-City relationship, the new footbridge promotes increased operational efficiency for the railways serving the Port, allowing for higher train speeds due to the elimination of the risk of accidents with pedestrians.
