São Paulo is the biggest metropolitan area in South America in socio-economic terms, and is Brazil's financial centre.
The country is undergoing a profound transformation, proof of which is the scale of investment in infrastructures such as the ring-road known as the Rodoanel Mário Covas (Mario Covas Ring-road). The 43.86 kilometre-long northern section was pending execution. For social and environmental reasons this is the most complex section of the entire project with 4,000 families requiring relocation.
The execution of the northern section will complete the 177 kilometres of this ring road around the city. It is used by 65,000 vehicles per day, including 30,000 trucks and provides access to Porto de Santos, Brazil's main seaport. The northern section also includes the new access to the Guarulhos International Airport.
The northern section is designed for speeds up to 100 kilometres per hour, has three or four lanes depending on the sector and required construction of seven tunnels and one hundred and eleven bridges and viaducts.