Work Progressing on Brazilian Highway BR-163 in Mato Grosso

Since the state of Mato Grosso assumed responsibility of widening and improving Highway BR-163 through the central part of the state, the pace of the work has accelerated. After years of inaction, things are moving along and officials now indicate that the entire project of converting a 2-lane highway into a 4-lane limited access highway for the entire length of the state will be completed in four years, which is half of the original estimate.

It cannot come soon enough for the residents of the state. At times of the year, trucks account for over 60% of the traffic on BR-163 and trying to pass a long line of slow-moving trucks is extremely difficult and dangerous for passenger cars and almost impossible for trucks. Once completed, it will improve the flow of grain within the state and make it safer.

Highway BR-163 is often referred to as Brazil’s “Soybean Highway” because of its importance in moving grain in the state of Mato Grosso, which is Brazil’s largest soybean, corn, and cotton producing state. Highway BR-163 is the major throughfare in the state traversing the entire state from north to south. Traffic on the highway has increased exponentially in recent decades as grain production continued to increase and improvements were badly needed.

From the city of Sinop in northern Mato Grosso northward to the Amazon River, BR-163 will continue to be a 2-lane highway. That region is sparsely populated, so there is not much passenger car traffic. The long-range plan is to convert that part of the highway to a toll road and to use the revenue to convert it into a 4-lane limited access highway.

Tags: Mato Grosso, cotton, trucks, Highway BR-163, corn, grain, Brazil, soybeans, Production