The Rota do Oeste Concessionaire and the government of Mato Grosso have 60 days to conclude the BR-163 share transfer agreement. The decision was made by the National Land Transportation Agency (ANTT), after a unanimous vote by the board of directors this Thursday (2).
The extension was requested by the Rota do Oeste Concessionaire, according to the reporting director Davi Barreto, since “all the conditions for effectiveness” of the Conduct Adjustment Agreement (TAC) formalized by the ANTT on October 4, 2022 have not yet been implemented.
In favor of postponing the amendment to the BR-163 Concession Agreement, in the section that runs from the border with Mato Grosso do Sul to Sinop, reporting director Davi Barreto reinforced that “it has been proven that the best scenario for this highway is the prevalence of the TAC over re-tendering”. The reporting director’s vote was supported by the Agency’s board of directors. BR-163 is the main route for transporting goods from MT
The Federal Court of Auditors (TCU) gave the go-ahead to the government of Mato Grosso, through MT Par, to take over the concession for BR-163 on September 28.
On October 4, in Cuiabá, the TAC was signed between ANTT and the Rota do Oeste Concessionaire.
The expectation was that the transfer of control of BR-163 from Rota do Oeste to the Government of Mato Grosso, through MT Participações e Projetos (MT Par), would be formalized in January 2023.
In December 2022, another step towards the transfer was taken. The state managed to unblock with the creditor banks the renegotiation of a debt of R$920 million, contracted by Rota do Oeste over the years of the concession. The government is expected to invest around R$1.2 billion in the first two years. The government of Mato Grosso has revealed that it expects to begin the first works to widen the BR-163 in the first half of the year.
Of the more than 800 kilometers of highway that connect Mato Grosso from north to south, the Concessionária Rota do Oeste, which has controlled the BR-163 since 2013, committed to widening 450 kilometers of the road. However, only 120 kilometers have been completed.
The BR-163, the main route for the flow of agricultural production in Mato Grosso, is known nationwide as the “Highway of Death” due to the large number of accidents that occur daily on the stretch.
Source: Canal Rural