Anápolis (GO), November 11, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Belém-Brasília highway, the principal land transportation link between the North and other regions of Brazil, will be totally restored. This announcement was made by the Minister of Transportation, Anderson Adauto, who signed a service order authorizing recovery, restoration, and mantenance works on the highway in the states of Goiás, Tocantins, and Pará.

The acting President, José Alencar, and the chief of the Presidential Civilian Advisory Staff, Minister José Dirceu, participated in the project-authorization ceremony, which took place on the BR-153 highway, five kilometers from the municipality of Anápolis, in the state of Goiás. According to Adauto, the recovery is not a simple "patching" operation and is part of a program to restore the principal routes of the Brazilian highway system. According to Adauto, in addition to the recuperation of roads in metropolitan areas and large cities, priority will be placed on the completion of unfinished projects.

The Belém-Brasília highway traverses four states: Maranhão, Goiás, Tocantins, and Pará. Recovery of the section of the highway in Maranhão was authorized by the Ministry of Transportation last month. The federal government will invest R$ 227.9 million on the execution of repairs along the more than 2,061 kilometers of the highway.

The resources come from the World Bank, with Brazilian government counterpart funds. According to Adauto, the R$ 33 million that will be used this year and the R$ 80 million that will be used in 2004 are already guaranteed. The government estimates that nearly 2 million people will be benefitted by the projects in the 4 states. (DAS)