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Highway Auctioned for R$ 8 Billion and Will Have High Tolls, Exceeding R$ 55 After the Installation of New Plazas. Concessionaire Promises to Duplicate and Modernize the Road, but High Costs Worry Drivers.
With an auction that moved billions of reais, one of Brazil’s main highways, known as Zebu Route, is now under new concession, and drivers will have a surprise with the tolls.
The National Agency for Land Transportation (ANTT) held the auction for BR-262, which connects Betim, in Minas Gerais, to Uberaba, in the Triângulo Mineiro, and from now on, those crossing the route will face higher fees and some changes to the road’s structure.
At the concession event, the company Rotas do Brasil won the 30-year contract to operate and maintain the highway, winning the concession by offering a 15.3% reduction on the initially proposed toll value.
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Still, the final amount is not cheap: drivers will pay more than R$ 55.49 to cross the section, a considerable increase from the current R$ 30.40.
New Concession Foresees Changes in Toll and Increase in Value
According to the notice, six toll booths will be part of the route between Betim and Uberaba, four of them already in operation and two still under construction in the cities of Nova Serrana and Araxá.
Until these new plazas are completed, the fee will increase from R$ 30.40 to R$ 38.39, a rise of 26.28% over the current amount.
Then, with the additional plazas, the cost will go up to R$ 55.49, a total increase of 82.53%.
The toll plaza in the city of Luz, in the central-western Minas Gerais, will be the most expensive on the stretch, and ANTT also indicated that frequent users will be able to benefit from a progressive discount for repeated trips in the same month, as well as discounts for those who utilize automatic payments via TAGs.
According to ANTT, the intent is to ease the impact somewhat for local drivers, but the savings for those who occasionally use the route will be limited.
Auction Featured Competition and Toll Discount
During the auction, the competition to take over BR-262 was fierce between Rotas do Brasil and BTG Pactual, both offering cuts to the toll value set by ANTT.
Rotas do Brasil won with a discount proposal of 15.3%, lowering the price from R$ 65.54 to approximately R$ 55.49.
This cut was decisive for the company to emerge victorious, securing the concession contract with a promise of billion-dollar investments in the highway.
Rotas do Brasil, which now takes over the administration, is a partnership between the investment fund Kinea and the Way Brasil Group, a company already experienced in road infrastructure projects.
The concession brings great responsibilities and requires massive investments in improvements and maintenance of the road.
Billion-Dollar Investments and Improvements on the Highway
According to the new contract, the concessionaire must invest over R$ 8.54 billion in construction and maintenance of BR-262 over the 30-year concession period.
The investment will be distributed between R$ 4.39 billion on long-term infrastructure projects and R$ 4.14 billion allocated to continuous operations and maintenance of the highway.
Among the obligations of the concessionaire are the duplication of 44.3 kilometers of lane and the construction of 169 kilometers of additional lanes, providing more safety and fluidity to the traffic in the region.
The plan also includes other support structures: 3.6 kilometers of marginal roads, the construction of a Stop and Rest Point (PPD), 17 pedestrian walkways, 100 bus stops, and three wildlife crossings, aiming to minimize the environmental impact in the preservation areas near the highway.
Strategic Concession for Cattle Export in Brazil
The Zebu Route, nicknamed for crossing an important region for Brazilian cattle ranching, is strategic for the transport of products and goods, linking the interior of Minas Gerais to exporting regions.
With the renewal of the concession, the Brazilian government aims to modernize the infrastructure of BR-262, attracting more investments and strengthening the agro-export sector.
The Zebu Route concession is part of a set of projects that the Brazilian government has been carrying out to modernize and privatize old roads, many of which faced maintenance and safety issues.
According to experts, this restructuring of the management model of Brazilian highways is part of a long-term policy to attract more private investments and increase the competitiveness of land transport in Brazil.
Although the investments bring expectations of improvements, the new toll rates represent a heavier burden for those who regularly travel in the region.
The concession reinforces the presence of private companies in Brazilian road infrastructure, a trend that has been encouraged in recent years with the goal of promoting improvements and reducing the problems that affect the country’s road network.
With the price adjustment, the question arises: is the toll really justified? What is your opinion about the increases, and how do you view the impact of these private concessions on the quality of Brazilian highways?
Brasil onde a corrupção reina e o povo que paga a conta da roubalheira
O pedágio na 262 na minha região custa 7,10 com desconto que vão dar pra privatizar vai para 55,49, gostaria de saber como o governo fez essa conta.
Uma rodovia precária, pista simples e muito perigosa, com muitas mortes e uma serra que falaram em duplicar.
Esse é o nosso Brasil.
Isso é até um dia o povo covarde brasileiro, criar coragem e não votar em ninguém, aí talvez comece a melhorar, povo covarde brasileiro, vergonha de ser Brasileiro