Brazil needs to further ramp up road investment

A report by the Brazilian industry body 3283 Ipea points to the need for massive investment to continue expansion and upgrades to the country's road system. According to Ipea an eye-watering US$98 billion will be needed to upgrade existing links and build new roads to meet the country's continuing growth in transportation needs. A significant portion is required to build new roads and pave existing links as so many of Brazil's current non-urban roads are unsurfaced at present. However the Brazilian Government's PAC-2 investment plan has budgeted a mere 13% of the funds and finances that the Ipea report says is required. Ipea's report also points out that Brazil has a higher percentage of toll roads than the global average. According to Ipea the average number of toll roads in each country around the world is around 2% while Brazil's privately-owned toll roads account for 9% of the total network.