Brazilian toll road operator Invepar has formalized the request for the return of a road concession together with the National Transportation Agency Terrestrial (ANTT).

Invepar is the concessionaire of the BR-040 highway, which connects Brasilia to Rio de Janeiro, with an extension of more than 1,000 kilometers.

The company is responsible for the duplication and operation of the 936.8 kilometer section linking Juiz de Fora (MG) to Brasilia (DF), under its concession.

The government will re-tender the concession and Invepar, through Via 040, will continue to operate and manage the project until the retender is complete.

According the company insufficient movement on the road making its commercial exploitation unfeasible. The company has faced financial difficulties due to Brazil’s economic recession

The highway had been privatized in the Investment Partnerships Program (PPI) of the Ministry of Transport.

Invepar  won the tender process in December 2013 and signed the 30-year concession contract in March 2014.

As we reported, in August 2017 Brazil also announced the expiration of the concession for the BR-153 road,  running through the states of Tocantins and Goiás. ANTT selected in 2014 the local firm Galvão Engenharia as the preferred bidder for the project. The World Bank is currently carrying out studies for the BR-153 retender.