Brazil: Transport Ministry and BNDES Sign Agreement for Concession of 3,137 km of Highways
Cubierto por 2 fuentesPublicado
Brazil's Ministry of Transport and BNDES (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social) signed a contract on Wednesday, October 14, in Rio de Janeiro, under which the bank will structure the concession projects for five federal highway stretches that together total 3,137 kilometers, spread across nine states in the North and Northeast regions of the country.
The stretches included
The package covers the BR-153, 775 km long, between Pará and Tocantins; the BR-010, 678 km long, between Maranhão and Pará; the BR-226, 717 km long, running through Piauí, Maranhão and Tocantins; the BR-116, 473 km long, in Ceará, Paraíba and Pernambuco; and the BR-104, 494 km long, in Paraíba, Pernambuco and Alagoas. In total, the states involved are Tocantins, Pará, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco and Alagoas.
The role of agribusiness
Transport Minister George Santoro noted that the area corresponds to Matopiba, a new agricultural and industrial frontier in Brazil, and explained that the goal of the agreement is to study which projects have the economic viability to become a concession, clarifying that studying them does not necessarily mean they will go ahead. According to him, the structuring of the projects is expected to be completed by the end of 2030.
Next step: railways
Santoro said that within about 15 days a similar contract focused on railways would be signed with BNDES, which would include the extension of the Norte-Sul railway to the Port of Rio Grande, in Rio Grande do Sul, as well as the Santa Catarina rail corridor project, which would connect that state to the country's southern rail network.
Other aspects of the plan
BNDES President Aloizio Mercadante said that the bank and the Ministry of Transport have been working since 2025 on evaluating the federal road network to identify stretches relevant to road integration, with a focus on grain transport to consumption centers, rail terminals and ports. According to Santoro, the structuring process will also need to consider measures to reduce toll costs, expand connectivity through 5G internet along the corridors, and plan investments linked to the energy transition and infrastructure resilience.
