The Nova Marginal Pinheiros highway project extends the existing thoroughfare south, adding 8 km along the Pinheiros River's west bank. With an estimated R$1.7 billion budget that promises to reduce congestion, improve connectivity, flooding response and travel times, it comprises 3 southbound lanes, 5 new bridges, and 18 connection points to existing streets. The implementation will require the relocation of numerous ENEL and CTEEP towers and power line segments and will require substantial groundworks.
The project was approved following amendments to the City's Master Plan reclassifying the area from a Zona Especial de Proteção Ambiental (ZEPAM), for the preservation and protection of environmental heritage, to a Zona Eixo de Estruturação da Transformação Metropolitana (ZEM), where construction and bonus densities are allowed. The intervention lies within the Area of Urban Intervention Jurubatuba, part of the PIU ACJ, and the lack of details on the anticipated displacement this large infrastructure will cause adds to the concerns that favelas and occupations dwellers in the area already have.
The Marginal Pinheiros extension has faced strong resistance from activists and residents who oppose the disruption of 130 hectares of a riverside green space designated for an urban park in previous planning initiatives. Opponents claim the project runs counter to contemporary urban sustainability and climate action mandates. While the implementation is currently suspended by the Tribunal de Contas do Município (TCM), Mayor Nunes remains fully committed to the project as a cornerstone achievement of his administration, and faces reelection this year. Neighborhoods impacted by the project include Jardim São Luís, Vila Socorro, Viela Bayer, Socorro, Jardim Marabá, Vila Santa Maria, Vila da Paz, Nicarágua, Autódromo I & II, and Manuel De Teffe.