Four months after the biggest flood in history that ended up destroying the bridge over the Rio das Antas, on ERS-431, the first equipment arrives that will be responsible for transporting vehicles by means of a ferry. On Friday, January 5, teams delivered the tug that will move the entire structure from one side of the river to the other. The transport is expected to start from January 20th and operate, according to unofficial information, 24 hours a day.

Still on Friday, teams tried to remove the tug from the truck that transported it to the José Júlio Line, in the interior of Santa Tereza, however, due to the weight of its structure, the operation ended up being aborted and restarted this Saturday, January 6, when other vehicles arrived to make the crossing to the banks of the river.

According to information received by workers at the site, the ferry left São Jerônimo on Friday, transported by a cargo ship. In Estrela, the structure must travel to the location where it will be installed.

Work to prepare the space where the ferry will be installed began on December 12th of last year. The location, which is close to ERS-431, was chosen after technical studies by the engineering team, as changes in river levels could make installation of the structure difficult.

According to the information contained in the contracting process, fees will be paid by users and range from R$1.93 for bicycles to R$60.99 for vehicles with loads considered ultra-heavy. Passenger vehicles must pay R$9.63 per crossing.

According to the State Government, responsible for contracting and paying for the assembly and disassembly of the ferry, the equipment must transport vehicles and cargo while the new bridge is built. With no plans to begin work on the new structure, the fear is that the method adopted as a palliative measure will continue for many years or permanently, as some nearby residents claim.

According to the Autonomous Department of Highways (Daer), the preliminary project and budget for construction of the new bridge have already been finalized and have been registered with the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development to receive the funds.