RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On the eve of the extended holiday through September 7 (Brazil’s Independence Day), traffic on the main highways that connect the Sao Paulo metropolitan region with coastal beaches has been congested since Friday.
According to the toll road concessionaires, there are traffic jams on about 16 kilometers on the way to the Baixada Santista region near the port of Santos, and traffic is at a standstill on at least 23 more kilometers. There are also records of excess vehicles on the roads to the north São Paulo coast and other inland destinations.
It is expected that at least 4.5 million cars will be on the main state roads spreading out from the capital in the next 3 days.
This is the first long holiday since the state government lifted restrictions on opening hours, allowing retailers to operate at 100% capacity.