Brazil's New BR-393/RJ Concession Project Plans to Invest R$3.08 Billion

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Brazil's Ministry of Transport is advancing a new round of highway concession for the BR-393/RJ "Rota Vale do Café" in the state of Rio de Janeiro. According to the Ministry's latest project brief, the project's capital expenditure is estimated at approximately R$3.08 billion, with operational expenditure of approximately R$3.11 billion, of which investment in road capacity expansion and other improvement works amounts to approximately R$1.414 billion. The new concession plan envisages the implementation of approximately 15 kilometers of road duplication, as well as the rehabilitation, maintenance, operation systems, and safety facility upgrades of the existing highway.

The project covers approximately 204 kilometers of the BR-393/RJ section, connecting multiple inland cities in the state of Rio de Janeiro and linking with trunk highways such as BR-116. Compared with the previous concession round, the new plan extends the route to the Volta Redonda bypass section, enabling the concessioned road to connect directly with the Presidente Dutra highway; the previous concession section terminated near the urban area of Volta Redonda, still approximately 10 kilometers from the direct connection point with BR-116.

The Ministry of Transport's project brief further breaks down the R$3.08 billion CAPEX as follows: initial works of approximately R$149 million, road system rehabilitation of approximately R$198 million, capacity expansion and other improvements of approximately R$1.414 billion, general buildings of approximately R$51 million, operational equipment and systems of approximately R$237 million, environmental legacy remediation of approximately R$4 million, land acquisition of approximately R$375 million, with the remainder including compensation and other expenditures. The OPEX during the operational period is expected to be approximately R$3.11 billion, of which road maintenance accounts for approximately R$1.237 billion and operational systems for approximately R$853 million.

The new plan intends to adopt a 30-year concession period. The planned duplication scale is approximately 15 kilometers, lower than the 27.4 kilometers originally planned in the previous concession contract; the project also plans to set up 6 toll facilities, whereas the old contract provided for 3. Following the termination of the previous concession, BR-393 is currently under emergency maintenance by Brazil's National Department of Transport Infrastructure, and in January 2026, maintenance works on approximately 103.3 kilometers of the section were launched, involving pavement, markings, and drainage facilities, with an investment of approximately R$17 million.

The Ministry of Transport has included BR-393/RJ in the 2026 federal highway concession plan and named it "Rota Vale do Café." The government had previously planned to make this project one of the first projects under the new "smart concession" model, with a private operator responsible for long-term road maintenance and upgrading, implemented through a new financing and tolling structure. The project is still in the concession plan and tender preparation stage, with subsequent milestones including completing regulatory procedures, issuing tender documents, and organizing the concession auction.