Brazilian Highway System
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Brazilian national network of highways is the second largest of the world. It is almost 2 million km long, with approximately 200,000 km of them paved, as of 2004. The name given to highway in Brazil is "rodovia" (expressway connecting two or more cities, or a far and important location, passing to an area outside any urban area, is the specification of "rodovia", in Brazil).
"Rodovias" can be both paved or unpaved (but almost every major Brazilian highway is paved), and can have separated lanes to each direction or not, and can have multiple lanes or only a single lane.
As it is in the United States, Canada or most countries in Europe, most major "rodovias" have higher speed limits than normal urban roads, although minor "rodovias", unpaved "rodovias" and sections of major "rodovias" running inside urban areas have a low speed limit in general.
Annually, it is estimated that more than 1.2 billion people travel in the Brazilian highways (against the 80 million travelling in airlines).
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[edit] Nomenclature
Brazilian Regional highways are named YY-XXX, where YY is the abbreviation of the state where the highway is running in and XXX is a number (e.g. SP-280; where SP means that the highway is running entirely in the state of Sao Paulo).
Brazilian National highways are named BR-XXX. National highways connect multiple states altogether, are of major importance to the national economy and/or connect Brazil to another country. The meaning of the numbers are:
- 000-099 - it means that the highway runs radially from Brasília. It is an exception to the cases below.
- 100-199 - it means that the highway runs in a south-north way
- 200-299 - it means that the highway runs in a west-east way
- 300-399 - it means that the highway runs in a diagonal way (northwest-southeast, for example)
- 400-499 - another exception, they are less important highways and its function is to connect a city to an arterial highway nearby
Often Brazilian highways receive names (famous people, etc), but continue to have a YY/BR-XXX name (example: Rodovia Castelo Branco is also SP-280.)
See highway system of São Paulo for numbering designation for São Paulo state roads, also used in some other states.
[edit] Growth, Net Density, Importance & Problems
Growth started in the 1930s, but until the 1950s Brazil had still a relative small and inefficient highway system. The situation changed in the 50s and 60s thanks to Juscelino Kubitschek politic of "motorization" of the national economy: vehicles would be the motor of the economy. His policy attracted multinationals (like Volkswagen), which installed factories in the country. Since then, the Brazilian Highway system grew quickly (as the automobile national industry), reaching 200,000 km paved in 2000.
The Southern and Southeast regions of Brazil are heavily connected by highways, most of them, paved; the North region is the least connected with paved highways due to the presence of the Amazon rainforest). In this region, highways, when they are present, generally are unpaved. Manaus, for example, has no major paved highways connecting it to any other city but Boa Vista in the north.
Highways are the main means of transportation in Brazil, both in number of movement of passengers and movement of freight and goods.
The major problem of highways as the national arterial system is that it is expensive to transport freight: trains are much cheaper, generate less pollution and create no traffic problems as trucks do. As of 2003, Brazil had only 24,000 km of railways, used mainly for mineral resources transportation (mines to seaport), while trucks are responsible for almost every other mean of freight transportation.
Another significant problem that Brazilian federal highways face is deterioration because of weather conditions and heavy usage. The Government's investment in highway maintenance often falls short of the necessary amounts, resulting in the lack of maintenance of thousands of kilometers of federal highways, especially the minor ones. Potholes and wavy asphalt are common on several highways. Because of this difficulty, the government decided to grant parts of highways to private administration companies who will maintain the highway in exchange for the right to charge tolls. This partial solution the problem is explained in the section below.
[edit] Public vs Private Administration
Brazilian highways are under constant observation (laws, rules, highway patrolling) of CONTRAN (Conselho Nacional de Trânsito - National Transit (Road Transportation) Concil), the national government organization responsible of the rules and laws about the Brazilian road system (including all the ones inside urban areas), and DENATRAN (Departamento Nacional de Trânsito - National Road Transport Department), the national government organization responsible to enforce these laws, but funding it is a government (from the state where the highways is/passes by) or private responsibility. All major Brazilian paved highways have toll stations.
In the 90s, many state's governments decided to privatize public-controlled paved highways, in order to generate extra income to the state's budget (for social care mainly). These governments argued that private funding will make problematic highways much better, because of the investments received. In fact, many private-controlled paved highways are in very good conditions (with many of them having critical problems before), but other people argue that private-controlled paved highways charge more at the toll stations and that these highways have more toll stations than public-controlled paved highways (in order to compensate for the investment done).
[edit] Major Federal Brazilian Highways
[edit] BR-010
Also called Rodovia Belém-Brasília, official name Rodovia Bernardo Sayão (the name of its chief engineer, who died in an accident during the construction of the highway, when a tree fel on him), is one of the longest highways in South America and runs in an almost perfect North-South direction, from the city of Belém and the Federal capital city of Brasília.
[edit] BR-040
BR-040 runs radially from near of the national capital Brasilia (beginning 100 km south of the beginning of BR-050, in Brasilia), in a northwest-southeast way, to Rio de Janeiro city.
BR-040 is the modern way of the called "New Way", opened in the 18th century that linked Ouro Preto, the main center of gold mines of Minas Gerais to the Rio de Janeiro harbour.
In 1861 the road was paved from Petrópolis to Juiz de Fora, being the first road paved in Latin America until the 1920s. In 1928, Petrópolis was connected to Rio de Janeiro with a paved road.
In the 1930s the route of the road was changed to pass by the new capital of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, although it was unpaved until 1957, when the road was extended to Brasília, the new capital of Brazil.
From 1951 to 1973 BR-040 was called BR-3 and was famous for its dangerous bends, such as the Almas Bridge, near Belo Horizonte, which is used until today. In the 1970s the part from Rio de Janeiro to Juiz de Fora was modernized and become a two-laned road.
Cities where the BR-040 runs or passes by: Lusilândia, Belo Horizonte, Juiz de Fora, Rio de Janeiro.
[edit] BR-050
BR-050 runs radially from the national capital, Brasilia, in a north-south way, to Santos city, passing in São Paulo.
Cities where the BR-050 runs or passes by: Brasília, Uberlândia and Uberaba. At the border of the state of São Paulo, it merges with Rodovia Anhanguera (SP-330) and passes by Ribeirao Preto, Limeira, Campinas and São Paulo, then it merges with Rodovia Anchieta (SP-150) and passes by São Bernardo do Campo and Santos.
[edit] BR-101
BR-101 runs in a north-south way, along Brazil's coast. It is Brazil's second major highway, and the longest in the country (nearly 4600 km long). It connects more states capitals than any other "rodovia" in the country, in the total, 12 capitals are directly connected by BR-101.
The Rio-Niterói Bridge is part of the BR-101.
Cities where the BR-101 runs or passes by: Natal, João Pessoa, Olinda, Recife, Maceió, Aracaju, Feira de Santana, Salvador, Itabuna, Ilhéus, Porto Seguro, Linhares, Vitória, Guarapari, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Barra Mansa, Santos, Curitiba, Joinville, Florianópolis, Criciúma, Osório, Porto Alegre.
[edit] BR-116
BR-116 runs in a north-south way, near, but not in Brazil's coastline. It is the major Brazilian highway, and it is the second longest of the country. Numerous parts of the long path taken by the BR-116 have other official names.
The highway is especially busy along the Joinville-Curitiba-Sao Paulo-Rio de Janeiro section. The Curitiba-Sao Paulo section of the highway is known as Rodovia Régis Bittencourt, nicknamed "Rodovia da Morte" (Highway of death), due to its many accidents caused by the instable weather conditions of the region. The Sao Paulo-Rio de Janeiro section is named Rodovia Presidente Dutra, and it is the busiest section of the highway, running into or near of 15 cities with more than 200.000 habitants.
Cities where the BR-116 runs or passes by: Fortaleza, Salgueiro, Feira de Santana, Vitória da Conquista, Teófolio Otoni, Governador Valadares, Rio de Janeiro, Volta Redonda, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Curitiba, Lages, Canoas, Porto Alegre
[edit] BR-174
BR-174 is the only paved highway connecting Manaus to another Brazilian state capital. It starts in Manaus, passes into Jundia, Novo Paraiso, Caracai, Mucajai, Boa Vista (Roraima's capital) and Paracaima, in the extreme north of the country, connecting Brazil with the neighbouring country of Venezuela.
[edit] BR-230 (Rodovia Transamazônica)
See manin article Trans-Amazonian highway
BR-230 or Rodovia Transamazônica is Brazil's third longest highway, running in an east-west direction. It was planned and built in the late 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s, to connect the isolated state of Amazonas and region with the rest of the country.
It was planned to be more or less 8.000 km long, mostly paved and connecting the North and Northeast Brazilian regions and Ecuador and Peru, but nowadays it is 2.500 km long and mostly unpaved (dirt). BR-230 was inaugurated in August 30, 1972, and since then did not suffer any major alterations.
Other problems were the beginning of deforestation and the creation of numerous small villages along the highway, and traffic is impracticable during the rainy season of the year (October - March). Still, the highway it is very important, by connecting the region with the rest of the country. A major plan to pave most of the highway is under consideration by the Brazilian government, as of 2004.
Cities where the highway run or passes by: Aguiarnópolis, Maraba, Altamira, Itaituba, Humaita, Lábrea.
[edit] BR-277
BR-277 is a highway that runs east-west, starting from the Friendship Bridge (which connects Brazil with Paraguay) and goes up to Paranaguá. It is of major importance to Paraguay, since major importations are made using the Paranaguá seaport.
Major cities connected by the BR-277: Foz do Iguaçu, Medianeira, Cascavel, Guarapuava, Ponta Grossa, Curitiba, Paranaguá. BR-277 is approximately 650 km long.
[edit] BR-319
One of the two major highways connecting the isolated capital city of Manaus, it is mostly unpaved, and though, traffic is impracticable in the rainy seasons of the year. Even though, it connects the city to the South (and more habited) regions of the country, making BR-319 a major highway of national integration.
As of December 2005, this highway is under reconstruction within a 420 kilometer stretch between Caiero and Humaita. The complete re-paving work is expected to be finished by 2007, reestablishing the land connection between Manaus and the rest ou the country.
Major cities connected by the BR-319: Manaus, Caiero, Humaita, Porto Velho.
[edit] BR-381
BR-381 or Rodovia Fernão Dias, as it is called, is a highway which runs in the Brazilian states of São Paulo and southern region of Minas Gerais.
Major cities connected by the BR-381: São Paulo, Mairiporã, Atibaia, Pouso Alegre, Varginha, Oliveira and Belo Horizonte.
[edit] Major State Highways
[edit] State of São Paulo
Main article: Highway system of São Paulo
- SP-340: Rodovia Adhemar de Barros
- SP-150: Rodovia Anchieta
- SP-330: Rodovia Anhangüera
- SP-070: Rodovia Ayrton Senna
- SP-348: Rodovia dos Bandeirantes
- SP 326: Rodovia Brigadeiro Faria Lima
- SP-070: Rodovia Carvalho Pinto
- SP-280: Rodovia Castelo Branco
- SP-065: Rodovia Dom Pedro I
- SP-160: Rodovia dos Imigrantes
- SP-306: Rodovia Luiz de Queiroz
- SP-300: Rodovia Marechal Cândido Rondon
- SP-270: Rodovia Raposo Tavares
- SP-075: Rodovia Santos Dumont
- SP-310: Rodovia Washington Luís
- SP-332: Rodovia General Milton Tavares de Souza
- SP-099: Rodovia dos Tamoios
- SP-123: Rodovia Floriano Rodrigues Pinheiro
- SP-425: Rodovia Assis Chateaubriand
[edit] Curiosities
- Manaus, Amazonas's capital (with a population of more than 1.6 million habitants), is one of the most isolated metropolitan regions of the world, accessible only by two major highways (only one paved) or by the Amazon River and the Negro River. It is located in the very heart of the Amazon Rainforest.
