Highway sector demands continuity of concessions after electoral cycle

With large projects in the pipeline and a tight schedule ahead of the elections, the highways sector raises concerns about the concessions schedule planned for the coming years and demands predictability and continuity in deliveries, even in the case of changes in federal management command.

As CNN showed, the federal government will have to hold around two road auctions per month to meet the target of 13 auctions in 2026.

Of the concessions initially planned for this year, two have been put on the market so far: Rotas Gerais (MG) and Rota dos Sertões (PE/BA).

As a result, approximately 85% of the competitions scheduled for 2026 are concentrated in the second half of the year.

Last Monday (8), after winning the Rota das Gerais competition in March, EcoRodovias began this Monday (08) the implementation of Ecovias das Gerais, a new concessionaire responsible for the concession of sections of BR-116 and BR-251

In Rota dos Sertões, the 116 Sertões consortium, made up of the Portuguese company Mota-Engil, as well as Odebrecht and Neo Invest, won the auction at the end of May, and will take over administration for 30 years.

In an interview with CNN, the director-president of ABCR (Brazilian Association of Highway Concessionaires, Marco Aurélio de Barcelos, stated that, despite the effort on the part of the Ministry of Transport to keep the project pipeline moving forward, the sector's biggest concern is not "just meeting a numerical auction target", but rather "ensuring that this agenda survives the electoral period and continues in 2027 and the following years", regardless of who is in government.

For the next ten years, the association's projection is R$400 billion in investments.

"The sector needs predictability and commitment to the continuity of investments", he stated.

With no competitions scheduled for the month of June, the agenda will resume in July with the concession of Régis Bittencourt (BR-116/SP/PR).

The discussion in the sector takes place amidst a time of budget tightening for regulatory agencies and bodies responsible for structuring and regulating concessions.

At the beginning of the month, the Ministry of Transport announced the allocation of R$50 million to restore part of the ANTT (National Land Transport Agency) budget, after the blocking of resources promoted by the federal government.

At the time, both the agency and the Ministry of Transport expressed concern about the effects of the budget blockage. The bodies' assessment was that resource constraints could compromise the preparation of the auctions scheduled for the second half of the year.

According to the president of ABCR, "it is necessary to recognize the work of ANTT", despite the recurring cuts.

However, Barcelos warned of a possible drop in ANTT delivery, given the increase in the volume of projects and the complexity of activities.

"Whenever there are new cuts, the same question arises: how long will the agency be able to maintain this level of delivery?", he pondered.

Also according to the executive, there is a contradiction in relation to the government, as on the one hand there is an acceleration in the concessions agenda, and on the other, the reduction in the operational capacity of the regulator responsible for monitoring these contracts, in the face of budget cuts.

Source: CNN