Brazil Approves R$5.9 Billion Highway Concession Plan

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 19, the Brazilian Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) approved the Rota Agro Central highway concession plan, clearing the audit hurdle for the government to publish the tender notice and proceed with the auction. Under the current model, the project's capital expenditure is approximately R$5.9 billion, with operating expenditure of around R$4.5 billion. The government plans to hold the auction in December 2026.

The project covers sections of BR-070, BR-174, and BR-364 in the states of Mato Grosso and Rondônia, connecting Cuiabá, Vilhena, and Sapezal, with a total length of approximately 887.6 kilometers, under a proposed 30-year concession period. The route spans the main agricultural production areas of Brazil's Central-West region and is a key highway component for transporting grains and other commodities to northern export corridors.

The National Land Transport Agency (ANTT) approved the final public consultation report, the draft concession plan, and the tender and contract documents in June 2025. The Brazilian Development Bank previously participated in updating the project's technical, economic, and environmental feasibility studies, with the relevant materials subsequently submitted to the TCU for privatization project review.

The TCU had suspended its review in December 2025 at the request of the Ministry of Transport, pending the government's completion of further logistics analysis. During the audit, the TCU focused on traffic volume forecasts, the configuration of third lanes on certain sections, electronic free-flow tolling provisions, toll adjustment mechanisms, and contract performance guarantees. Upon approving the review, TCU Minister Benjamin Zymler, responsible for the case, still made several recommendations to ANTT, primarily aimed at refining the subsequent auction conditions.

The current approval does not mean the project has already been awarded to an operator. The Ministry of Transport and ANTT still need to finalize the tender documents based on the TCU's recommendations and set the official auction date; the operating entity, final toll rates, and winning bid conditions will be determined by the competitive bidding process.