Ana Paula Marra
Reporter Agência Brasil

Brasília - The National Transportation Confederation (CNT) has released a note praising the decision by the government to repair 26,441 kilometers of highways, including some that were tansferred to states in 2002. Many of the country's highways are reported to be in a dangerous state.

The work is to begin on January 9 and will involve costs of US$187.9 million (R$440 million).

The president of the CNT, Clésion Andrade, declared that the emergency repairs were more than welcome. He pointed out that highway repair funds regularly get held back, saying that in the past administration the funding was often only 50% of what was needed for highway maintenance. He added that during 2005 the Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva administration had spent more than the average for the last decade.

"We totally support this initiative and hope it will be a definitive solution for our highway problems," said Andrade.

Translation: Allen Bennett