Brazilian highways continue to have problems, despite the improvement

Six out of 10 paved roads in Brazil are in inadequate conditions for traffic. This is the result of the most recent study carried out by the National Transport Confederation (CNT). Added to the fact that only 12% of Brazilian highways are paved, the scenario becomes even more worrying.

Mainly for Brazilian industries, which handle 65% of national production by road transport and are already affected by the precariousness of other modes. With such bad roads, companies suffer from delays in deliveries, losses from accidents, increased vehicle maintenance, increased fuel consumption, among other factors that impact transportation costs.

It's okay that there was an improvement in Brazilian highways between 2004 and 2016, the period analyzed by the CNT, but the almost 60% of highways in a precarious state continue to impact the Brazilian economy. An industry needs, mainly, to produce efficiently and also efficiently take its product to the market. If one of these assumptions fails, problems begin to arise, with repercussions inside and outside the company.

In addition to harming those who are already part of the market, the precariousness of Brazil's transport infrastructure prevents the emergence of new players. If, at first, investors are enthusiastic about the size of the national market, the concern quickly appears when issues such as logistics and taxes are analyzed, just to focus on the most obvious ones.

Just look at China to understand the importance of investing in a quality transport infrastructure. When they decided to bet on economic growth, the Chinese went from approximately 1 million kilometers of paved roads in 1990 to the current 4 million kilometers, practically reaching the United States, which has the most extensive road network in the world, with 4,4 million kilometers.

It is clear that the competition is not for the largest road network, but for the most efficient one. If, at least, the 211 kilometers of paved roads in Brazil were in excellent condition, the companies, and the country, naturally, would already benefit from it. China shows that this growth is possible, you just need to plan and invest.