This is a project of major significance, given that the bridge will be the second longest in the country and the longest sea-crossing cable-stayed bridge in Latin America.
Our Brazilian teams will work in close collaboration with SYSTRA IBT in the US and SYSTRA Korea to meet the requirements established in the context of a public-private partnership (PPP) between the State of Bahia and a Chinese consortium.
As part of its PMC tasks, the SYSTRA / Maia Melo consortium will carry out:
- a review of the detailed design, which is being done by the engineering companies Concremat / Sener for the Chinese private JV,
- the works supervision.

The management of this iconic project will enable us to consolidate our presence in the State of Bahia. In 2019, we won a huge contract for the evaluation of the bus rapid transit (BRT) in the city of Salvador.
Marc-Olivier Maillefaud, CEO of SYSTRA Brazil
Part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative
Itaparica bridge figures among the many projects being financed in the context of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
At the end of 2020, a public-private partnership (PPP) contract was signed between the State of Bahia and a Chinese consortium formed by China Railway 20th Bureau Group Corp (CR20G) and China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the bridge.
The PPP contract is for 35 years, including 5 years for the design and construction. The scope includes the bridge itself and the access points: a tunnel on the Salvador side, a road network on Itaparica island.
Itaparica bridge: improving transport and boosting the economy
This new bridge, with a total length of 12.4km, is key to the development of Bahia as vehicles will no longer have to go around the Bay of All Saints, the principal bay in the state.
It greatly reduces the distance between the state capital Salvador and the south of the state by nearly an hour’s drive and will play an important role in creating wealth in northeast Brazil.