The Proinveste project, the Rice Highway, is completed.

Secom - The SE-42 highway, a project of the Proinveste program, which connects the villages of Santa Cruz and São Miguel to the town of Propriá, has been fully completed and is already bringing benefits to the people of Sergipe. Conceived by Governor Marcelo Déda to facilitate the transport of rice production from the area, it is already providing benefits to residents throughout the region, with its five kilometers of length. In total, including addendums, approximately R$ 5 million was invested in the completion of the project and related services.

The highway meets the standard that has been established for new state highways, featuring a total width of nine meters, a rainwater drainage system, complete horizontal and vertical signage (including community requests for speed bumps), a new electrical grid, and overpass structures that allow access to properties along its edges.

“Approximately 5.400 tons of asphalt were used here to pave the five kilometers connecting the villages to Propriá, which has a five-centimeter asphalt layer,” says Gilvan Sandes, an engineer from the State Secretariat of Infrastructure responsible for monitoring the project.

According to Seinfra (the state infrastructure department), with the completion of the highway linking Japoatã to Propriá, which is already under construction, Sergipe will have a whole new road complex that will boost the development of the entire region. “Dialogue with the community was fundamental to the success of the project. We could see here that the population was eager for this service. We interacted to minimize the damage to their activities, for example, the care we took to rebuild all the animal watering tanks that we had to remove during the construction, and the care taken to reposition the 56 power poles that also had to be removed to increase the width of the road from six to nine meters,” explained Gilvan.

According to the Secretary of Infrastructure, Valmor Barbosa, Governor Marcelo Déda and the then Vice-Governor, Jackson Barreto, had the brilliant idea of ​​implementing this highway, which is extremely important for the communities of the Lower São Francisco region. “This project brings dignity and improvements to the residents of this region. Déda and Jackson realized the need for this intervention after visiting the municipality, traveling throughout the state, and listening to the population.”

Production

A long-time resident of the village of São Miguel, retired Eleozina Rodrigues, 65, is one of those celebrating the completion of the project. “This was a dream for decades. We waited more than 40 years for this project that freed us from the mud and dust. It has given us so much joy that I, and several other residents, are starting to renovate our houses to match the beauty of this road. It has improved our health, since we no longer have dust, services have improved, since everything arrives faster and more safely. Besides all that, I even gained a saint as a neighbor,” she emphasized, referring to the installation of an image of Saint Michael at the entrance to the village, very close to her home.

Another person intensely celebrating the realization of this dream is rice farmer José Aldo dos Santos, popularly known as “Aldinho,” who is also responsible for one of the several rice processing plants along the new highway. “To give you an idea, in winter it took us 40 to 50 minutes to reach the Propriá road. Many people refused to come. Today, we make the same journey in four minutes. The trucks that came to load the sacks of rice faced difficulties with the mud, which increased freight costs and reduced our profit margin, which wasn't very large to begin with. This new road is wonderful, and we thank the government for its completion, since finally, after many promises, it has become a reality and transformed our lives for the better,” celebrates the rice farmer, listing the significant advantages for his business.

"Thank God this runway has already been completed and, in the months of January and February, when our harvest takes place, we will already be enjoying all the benefits of this dream that has become a reality," adds Aldinho.

Transformation

According to Pedro Valeriano, the project supervisor for the State Department of Road Infrastructure, once the new highway between Japoatã and Propriá is integrated into this new road complex, the population's prospects will grow even more. “We are already noticing the population's eagerness for this connection and we are making every effort, even with the rainy season which has caused a relative delay, to complete these works in the shortest possible time. This entire region, which lacks development, will receive a notable boost with these new roads,” predicts the technician.

Confirming this statement, rice farmer Manoel Gomes da Silva also lists the advantages of the new road. “We even had difficulty maintaining the machines, since many transport companies claimed difficulties in bringing parts and products that we needed. The mud and dust discouraged people from renovating their houses, which were either dirty or dusty. Now all that is in the past. The road has even improved people's mood,” explains the resident of the Santa Cruz village.

Proinveste and highways

Through Proinveste, works are already underway for the implementation of the highway linking Itabaiana to Itaporanga; the Itabaianinha road bypass; the paving of the access road to the village of Calumbi, in Nossa Senhora do Socorro; as well as the rehabilitation of the road system of the Gov. Augusto Franco Administrative Center and the urbanization of Av. Euclides Figueiredo, both in Aracaju. The project for the implementation of the SE-100 North highway, section: Aguilhadas / Atalho, in the municipalities of Pirambu and Pacatuba, has also been tendered, and the implementation of the Estância/Abaís highway is in the design phase.