Integrated Sustainable Mobility Project in the Foz do Rio Itajaí Region

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The Integrated Sustainable Mobility Project in the Foz do Rio Itajai Region (AMFRI) will achieve a total investment amount of 162 USD million, out of which 90 USD million will be IBRD financing and 30 USD million counterpart financing, the rest of the investment concessions from the Private Sector for electric buses and barges. This project would be a pioneer in Brazil for being designed and implemented by a consortium of 11 Municipalities (CIM-AMFRI) in the Foz do Rio Itajai Region. The three major municipalities of the AMFRI (Itajai, Navegantes, and, Balneario Cambioriu) will be responsible vis-a-vis the Consortium for the loan repayment, being the Consortium the Borrower and responsible for the project implementation. The main outcome objectives of the project are to improve accessibility and mobility in select areas of the Region in an inclusive and low-emission manner. For those outcomes, the project seeks to improve the quality of service of the Public Transport in the Region, offering an integrated multimodal transport system with a fully electric regional public transport system that includes both Bus-Rapid-Transit (BRT) corridors as the backbone and electric buses in mix-traffic corridors, creating a more efficient, safe, punctual, accessible, comfortable, and sustainable alternative than the deficient current public transport that hampers access to jobs, services, and markets to the Region citizens. With the new public transport system, including the BRT, the outcome expected is to reduce the use of private cars, shift the modal share towards the new electric Public Transport system and therefore reduce CO2 emissions. Here are some of the specific objectives of the Project: (i) reduce the time of displacements - especially for women and low-income populations;(ii) facilitate the access of the population to the main job, services, and markets areas in the Region;(iii) enhance the use of public transport with consequent inversion of the modal matrix of displacements; (iv) stimulate active mobility for short and medium-range trips; (v) stimulate the use of micro-mobility and user-centric transport services; (vi) minimize the level of greenhouse gas emissions; (vii) enable balanced economic development across the AMFRI Region; (viii) stimulate the job opportunities for low-income population in retail, tourism, and other activities which will benefit from improved accessibility in the region; (ix) optimize the regional integration through the implementation of metropolitan high quality-of-service public transport services. The project will implement four components: Component 1 - Bus Rapid Transit and enhanced Regional Public Transportation System (BRT - AMFRI) - 108 US$ million (43 US$ IBRD loan and 23 US$ million counterpart financing; 42 US$ Private Capital Mobilization). The component consists of (i) a new integrated BRT and feeder bus system along the 51 km round Central System connecting four municipalities (Balneario Camboriu, Camboriu, Itajai, and Navegantes) and including all necessary road infrastructure, exclusive bus lanes, terminals, stations and depots, complementary facilities, fare collection and other necessary systems, as well as consultancies to ensure proper design, supervision, and operations; (ii) the infrastructure for a circulator bus system connecting to the BRT and connecting those low-income areas with the Beach; (iii) mixed-traffic e-bus corridors connecting additional municipalities in the Region (including the North and South Corridors) that may include bus stops and bays, bus priority measures, and other road improvements; and (iv) an approximate 70 km network of bikeways, bike paths, and pedestrian facilities to complement the BRT system and connect the municipalities in the Region. Component 2 – Technical Assistance for the Immersed River Tunnel between Itajai and Navegantes - 8 US$ million. This component consists of technical assistance and consultancies necessary to design a proposed Immersed Tunnel under the Itajai-Açu River (the implementation of which is beyond the scope of the proposed project). This component may include the following consultancies: (i) demand studies and the Origin-Destination Study of the Metropolitan Region to support the design and operations of the tunnel and future phases of the BRT; (ii) studies for the structuring of the tunnel concession as PPP (construction and operation); and (iii) the elaboration of basic engineering designs, geotechnical studies, risk matrices (including traffic risks), and the environmental and social feasibilities studies for the tunnel. ;Component 3 – Active Mobility Corridors and Safe and Accessible School Routes connecting low-income neighborhoods to the Beach Area in Balneario Camboriu - US$38 million (U$35 million is Bank financing and US$3 million counterpart financing). This component consists of the design, implementation, and supervision of improved active mobility corridors (for cyclists and pedestrians) to connect economically depressed and vulnerable areas (including low-income neighborhoods of Bairro das Naçoes, Nova Esperança, Vila Real, Bairro dos Municipios and São Judas) to the Central Waterfront and Beach Areas. This component will complete streets, pedestrian and cyclists corridors, as well as bridges and underpasses below the BR 101, along with safe and accessible school routes, connecting low-income areas of Balneario Camboriu and Camboriu municipalities to areas with greater access to jobs, services, leisure, and other opportunities. The component will support transforming road space for cars into pedestrian-only streets, safe road crossings, and new public spaces for children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and the general population. The component will include shared electric micro-mobility services (bicycles) with spaces built along the active mobility corridors and a focus on providing mobility solutions for the low-income population. The component will also improve the climate resilience of the area with climate-informed drainage works and nature-based solutions along the urbanized streets. Component 4 – Support for Institutional Strengthening and Project Management - 8 US$million IBRD financing. The component will include consultancies and technical assistance activities for promoting inclusive development, sustainability, resilience, and safety in the Region, as well as support for project management through the recently established Project Implementation Unit (PIU, also known as Unidade Coordenadora do Projeto - UCP). The proposed activities include studies and technical assistance such as: (i) consultancies for designing and implementing transport PPPs and concessions, including the Mobility Fund, the BRT operation and definition of contractual clauses and incentives to promote gender informed activities by the Operator; (ii) a diagnostic and mapping of labor demand and supply needs in the region; analysis of barriers to employment opportunities; and implementation of technical capacity building and labor training programs for women, youth, long-term unemployed, people with disabilities, refugees/migrants and other minorities, and economically vulnerable populations to access the job market; (iii) a consultancy to enhance the Regional Sustainable Planning – considering: LVC mechanisms consistent with Brazilian legislation in the Region Municipalities, policies and planning measures to promote inclusive and sustainable Regional economic development and land use plans including Transit Oriented Development (TOD) initiatives, and Regional policies and plans to reduce forest degradation and promote forest restoration in the area; and (iv) a consultancy for the development of demand management policies to discourage private vehicle use, including a low-emissions zone, smart traffic lights, and parking policies. It will also support consultancies for project management support, including but not limited to managing a