CNT: 57% of the country's highways have problems.
The survey was conducted over 39 days, from June 27th to August 4th, evaluating 100% of the highways in terms of pavement, signage, and geometry.
More than half of Brazil's 92,747 kilometers of paved highways have some kind of problem. This diagnosis was released today by the National Confederation of Transport (CNT) in Brasília, during the presentation of the 15th CNT Highway Survey. The survey shows that 57,4% of highways have some deficiency and 26,9% are in critical condition. From 2010 to 2011, the study shows an increase in critical points from 109 to 219.
The survey was conducted over 39 days, from June 27 to August 4, evaluating 100% of the highways in terms of pavement, signage, and geometry.
The state of São Paulo continues to have the best road network in the country, according to the research. The ranking of the ten best highways shows that all of them pass through the state of São Paulo and are private concessions for those sections. According to the study, Pará has the worst situation.
Research shows that the results for highways under private concession and those under public management are discrepant. According to the survey, 66,2% of the network under public management has some type of problem, while in private administration the rate drops to 13,1%.
Investments
The total investment needed in infrastructure in the country – highways, railways, waterways, ports and airports – is R$ 450 billion. Of this amount, R$ 200 billion should be allocated to highways, according to an estimate by the executive director of CNT, Bruno Batista.
The survey also shows a mismatch between investments in highways and the losses caused by road accidents in 2010. While federal investments in the highway network totaled R$ 9,85 billion, losses due to accidents totaled R$ 14,1 billion.
Batista criticized the federal government's low investment in infrastructure and also the mismanagement of public resources. "The need for investment is urgent. If the government cannot make the investments, it should provide the institutional tools for the private sector to do so," he stated.
The CNT representative highlighted that the government needs to regulate public-private partnerships (PPPs). "This institutional model has never taken off in the country. Without this regulatory framework, companies cannot invest," he said. Batista also reported that since September, 500 road construction projects have been halted due to irregularities.