The Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) of Paraguay has announced that the construction of the binational bridge between Carmelo Peralta (Paraguay) and Porto Murtinho (Brazil) will be completed in the first quarter of 2026.

The announcement was made during the International Seminar on the Bioceanic Route and the 6th Forum of Subnational Governments of the Bioceanic Corridor, in Campo Grande, the capital of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.

The route is a logistics corridor that will shorten cargo travel from Brazil to the Asian continent via the Pacific Ocean by up to 12 days. The journey will begin at the port of Santos, on the São Paulo coastline, passing through Paraguay and Argentina, and reaching the port cities of Antofagasta and Iquique in Chile.

The bridge, considered the main project, spans the Paraguay River and is 65% complete. The crossing will be 1,294 meters long, divided into three parts: two sections will form the access viaducts on both sides of the river, and one section will be the cable-stayed bridge, 632 meters long, with a central span of 350 meters.

The project is funded by the Paraguayan side of the Itaipu Binacional hydroelectric dam, which is shared with Brazil.

The Minister of Planning and Budget, Simone Tebet, estimates that the work on the Brazilian side will be completed by January 2027 at the latest.

The work involves the construction and paving of the access road to the international bridge over the Paraguay River, the Porto Murtinho highway bypass on BR-267/MS – just over 13 kilometers – and the customs control center.

On the Paraguayan side, the paving work on 225 kilometers of the final section of PY-15, known as Picada 500, between Mariscal Estigarribia and Pozo Hondo on the border with Argentina, is expected to be completed along with the bridge in 2026. The project includes not only the asphalt on the highway but also the construction and installation of a Border Control Center in Pozo Hondo, two weighing stations, and toll booths.

Another stretch of the Bioceanic Route that still needs to be paved is just over 20 kilometers in Argentina, shortly after the border with Paraguay at Misión La Paz. The Executive President of Fonplata – Development Bank, Luciana Botafogo, stated that this is still under negotiation with the Argentine government. However, the project is expected to be approved in June. If the work begins in 2025, it will take 3 to 4 years to complete.

The president of the development bank of the five nations of the Plata Basin also highlighted that the second bridge over the Pilcomayo River – between Pozo Hondo (Paraguay) and Misión La Paz (Argentina) – is in the executive design phase.

The Bioceanic Route

The Capricorn Bioceanic Corridor spans 3,320 km, connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, passing through Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Chile. From Campo Grande to the Chilean coastline alone, it covers about 2,500 kilometers, passing through: Porto Murtinho (MS); the Paraguayan Chaco from Carmelo Peralta to Pozo Hondo; northern Argentina in cities like San Salvador de Jujuy and Salta; from San Pedro de Atacama to the Chilean ports of Iquique and Antofagasta.

This route promises to transform regional and global logistics, bringing a series of economic and operational benefits to the countries involved.

The project stakeholders also emphasize improvements in tourism and cultural integration between the neighboring countries.