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The repair and expansion of the country's highway system is one of the government's main challenges, says Minister of Transportation, Alfredo Nascimento, speaking at the First National Meeting of Highway Cargo Carriers.
According to the Minister, his ministry is working with a US$ 2.5 billion budget this year that was approved by Congress for strategic and important highways.
The money will be used to duplicate some highways and repair the pavement in others.
"Last year we repaired over 5,000 kilometers of highways. With the money we have for this year, we will raise that to 14,000 kilometers of highway that have been repaired," said the Minister, adding that the work was focused on the country's main cargo corridors where the traffic is heaviest.
Nascimento cited a World Bank study that said Brazil needed to invest US$ 2.5 billion per year over a four-year period to restore its highway system. The minister said that those funds were guaranteed for 2006 and 2007.
ABr - www.radiobras.gov.br
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