Lula launches Salvador‑Itaparica bridge project and unveils R$ 500 m health upgrades in Bahia

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited the state of Bahia on 1‑2 July 2026 alongside Governor Jerônimo Rodrigues. In Alagoinhas the pair inaugurated the Hospital Estadual do Litoral Norte, the first hospital delivered under the Novo Programa de Aceleração do Crescimento (Novo PAC). The 190‑bed facility received its first patients and was equipped with ambulances, mobile dental units, vans and school buses, part of a health package exceeding R$ 500 million that also included a new polyclinic in Camaçari and 256 transport vehicles for the SUS.

In Vera Cruz the ceremony marked the symbolic start of the 12.4‑km Salvador‑Itaparica bridge, a R$ 11.6 billion public‑private partnership with Chinese firms China Communications Construction Company and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation. Lula warned that the project must not trigger “real‑estate speculation that displaces island residents”. The bridge is expected to cut travel time by about two hours and generate thousands of jobs.

Later in Salvador the newly renovated Teatro Castro Alves was reopened after a three‑year upgrade. Lula also announced a further R$ 600 million contribution from the Sudene development fund for the Transnordestina railway, underscoring the administration’s focus on infrastructure and regional integration. The president reiterated political support for longtime ally Senator Jaques Wagner, declaring “estamos firmes” in defending his name amid a federal police investigation.