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The BR-101 widening, with R$7 billion in investment, will transform the highway. Promising to create thousands of jobs, the project also foresees an increase in tolls, raising concerns about the financial impact for those who use the highway daily.
A highway that cuts through Espírito Santo is about to undergo a historic transformation.
Billion-dollar investments, more than 200 kilometers of duplication and promises of unprecedented social and economic impacts are on the horizon for BR-101, one of the busiest and most important roads in the country.
However, behind the advantages of this modernization, a crucial issue worries drivers: the increasing toll costs that can weigh on the pockets of those who use the highway regularly.
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With a total of R$ 7,07 billion invested and 221 kilometers of duplication planned, the project was authorized by the Federal Court of Auditors (TCU) and provides for the extension of the concession contract of Eco101, the current concessionaire responsible for BR-101, for another ten years.
According to the TCU, this restructuring aims to complete the duplication works and carry out essential improvements for traffic safety and efficiency.
But the impact of this plan already raises questions about the increase in tariffs and the dependence on private concessions for the maintenance of strategic roads in the country.
Promised Transformation in the Holy Spirit
The project foresees the duplication of 221,41 km of BR-101, with 96 km completed in the first three years of works.
The concession also includes the construction of two new highway bypasses in Espírito Santo, in Ibiraçu and Fundão, totaling more than 15 km.
These structures aim to alleviate traffic and increase safety for both drivers and pedestrians.
However, the Linhares Bypass, initially planned, was excluded due to the lack of environmental licensing, but may be incorporated into the contract later, as authorized by the TCU.
According to Minister Walton Alencar Rodrigues, rapporteur of the case, “there is public interest in its implementation and the draft addendum provides for the possibility of incorporation into the contract at a later date.”
If the Linhares bypass is included, the contract term can be extended for up to 40 years, consolidating the concessionaire's presence on BR-101 for more than three decades.
Toll increase worries drivers
In addition to the positive impacts, the duplication of BR-101 will also lead to a significant increase in toll rates.
From the sixth month of works, the toll for single lanes will increase from R$0,05525 to R$0,071 per kilometer driven.
With the duplication and reclassification to double lanes, this rate could reach R$0,1560 per kilometer by 2034, which is equivalent to approximately R$16,55 for every 100 km driven on the duplicated section.
This progressive increase mainly worries truck drivers and workers who depend on BR-101 on a daily basis.
According to infrastructure experts, there is a fear that the model adopted, with higher tariffs and a longer concession contract, will overload drivers and create an even greater dependence on the private sector for the maintenance of essential highways.
This factor raises questions about the justice and economic impacts of these conditions for the local population.
Generating jobs and economic development
The duplication of BR-101 does not only benefit the road infrastructure.
The project foresees the creation of 102.464 jobs throughout the execution of the works, including more than 34 thousand direct jobs and 16 thousand indirect jobs, in addition to another 52 thousand jobs generated by indirect economic impacts.
According to TCU estimates, these jobs will contribute to the local economy, generating opportunities and boosting development in areas close to the highway.
For concessionaire Eco101, the financial return will come through tariffs and the expansion of its contract, initially approved in 2013 and now extended to ensure the completion of the duplication project.
According to Eco101, in addition to the safety benefits, the improvements promise to reduce drivers' travel time and reduce the accident rate on the BR-101 stretch.
Controversies about the project
While the project offers a vision of progress, it is not without its critics.
Many question the long-term impacts of toll adjustments and the extension of the concession contract, which could result in drivers in Espírito Santo paying more to use the highway until the 2040s.
Experts warn of the risk that the concession model adopted will make BR-101 inaccessible for some groups, especially truck drivers who use the stretch to transport cargo.
The extension of the contract, which was previously for 25 years and could now reach 40, is also causing controversy, as some sectors believe that this decision prioritizes the interests of the concessionaire to the detriment of users.
Despite this, Eco101 justifies the extension of the deadline as essential to guarantee the execution of the project and ensure that the duplication works, road contours and safety improvements are completed within the deadline.
The future of BR-101
With the billion-dollar investment and ongoing works, BR-101 is preparing for a new era of road infrastructure in Espírito Santo, with promises of benefits and economic growth.
However, rising toll rates and the financial burden of these changes raise questions about who will actually bear the costs of this transformation.
The modernization of the highway represents progress, but the concession model and progressive tariffs may limit access for many drivers.
While the debate over the pros and cons of this transformation continues, BR-101 remains one of the main transport arteries in the state and a crucial issue for the future of national infrastructure.
Will drivers be willing to pay more for a road that is modernized with every kilometer it doubles?
No way, this ecobost… is rubbish!
Hey. Hey. There's another highway. The Trnsamazonica with huge stretches needing asphalt.
This is also Brazil.
It was fine until the math, 0,15 per km X 100 = 16,00……kkkkkk… I understand… Journalists don't make mistakes
The definitive solution would be to build a railway from Rio Grande do Sul to Pará, passing along the entire coast of the country.
It would relieve the entire highway, which is very dangerous, of double-trailer trucks!
Soon you will open your gate and you will already be paying the toll, so my question is, what is the purpose of the money from IPVA and licensing, ,,,,, they will tell me that some of it goes to health, but what health, if people are getting sick from so many taxes, imagine the driver paying for licensing to drive on the roads and the toll, two taxes in one??