According to Brazil’s presidential Chief of Staff, Dilma Rousseff (chefe da Casa Civil). the Brazilian government wants to conclude the privatization of some 3,000 kilometers of federal highways through the signing of concession contracts by April 15.
Among the highways that will be turned over to private sector concessionaires are: the BR-153/SP (Minas Gerais-São Paulo and São Paulo-Paraná); the BR-116/PR/SC (Curitiba (capital of Paraná)-Santa Catarina-Rio Grande do Sul); the BR-393/RJ (Minas Gerais-Rio de Janeiro); the BR-101/RJ at the Costa e Silva Bridge; the BR-116 and the BR-376, between Curitiba and Florianópolis (capital of Santa Catarina); and the BR-101/ES (in the state of Espírito Santo), besides the Fernão Dias (BR-381, São Paulo-Belo Horizonte) and Régis Bittencourt (BR-116, São Paulo-Curitiba) highways.
Following a decision by president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during a meeting of the Infrastructure Coordination Group (Coordenação de Infra-estrutura) Tuesday, January 3, highway repairs will begin next Monday (January 9) on some 4,592 kilometers of federal highways, to be followed by repairs on another 2,851 kilometers of state highways.
According to minister Rousseff, the work on the state highways will need prior agreements with state governors. "We are proposing to pay 70% of the repair costs and want the states to pay the remaining 30%," said the Minister.
ABr