01/14/2009 10h32
Serra triples investment in highway recovery
O Estado de S. Paulo - 01/14/2009
The Governor of São Paulo, José Serra (PSDB, Brazilian Social Democrat Party), will intensify the program for the recovery of highways in the State in the next two years. Until 2010, nearly R$ 3 billion (US$ 1.3 billion) in works are foreseen, three times the amount invested since the beginning of the administration. Serra's goal is to recover the 12 thousand km of state highways. The highways operated by private concessionaries are excluded from the program. To get a glimpse of the expansion of the program in the next two years, one may only compare some figures. The two previous stages of the program recovered, altogether, 4.6 thousand km of side roads. Now, there will be 7 thousand km in 2009 and 2010. R$ 3 billion (US$ 1.3 billion) will be invested, compared to the R$ 1.1 billion (US$ 478.3 million) invested in 2007 and 2008. The funds for the works will come from several sources: international loans, grants from the concessions of highways, the sale of the Nossa Caixa bank and from the State Treasury itself. Besides the figures, what is new in this third stage is the inclusion of a new service: the paving of the unpaved roads. From the 10 thousand km to be recovered until 2010, 3 thousand km are in such condition. So far, the target of the program was only the already paved roads. The
Pró-Vicinais Program (Program for the Improvement of Side Roads) was developed by the State Secretariat of Transports in the first months of government and basically foresees new paving and improvement of the road signs. In some cases, shoulders and drainage are rebuilt. The purpose is to improve the road infrastructure to optimize the flow of the production from the municipalities of São Paulo.
