# Brazil Road Infrastructure Improves in 2026 Despite Persistent Deficiencies National survey reveals 59% of Brazilian roads still face significant quality issues. - **Source:** [Poder360](https://www.poder360.com.br) - **Published:** 2026-11-09 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/45734ee1-b7fc-43a1-99af-f8225e29fa3e ## Infrastructure Quality Trends The 2026 CNT survey analyzed 114,907 kilometers of paved roads across Brazil. While 41.1% of the network is now rated as good or excellent, a 3.2 percentage point increase from 2025, the majority remains deficient. Specifically, 58.9% of the surveyed roads are still classified as regular, poor, or terrible. ## Investment and Maintenance Improved signaling, which rose from 50.4% to 60.2% in positive ratings, drove much of this year's progress. Public and private entities prioritized low-cost, high-impact maintenance like painting and signage. However, the total investment required to fully restore the national road network is estimated at a massive R$ 105.93 billion. ## Critical Points Surge Despite overall improvements, the number of critical points—such as landslides, eroded tracks, and damaged bridges—jumped by 45% in 2026. The survey identified 3,119 such occurrences compared to 2,146 in the previous year. These hazards significantly increase operational risks, vehicle damage, and travel times for drivers navigating the national highway system. ## Economic Operational Costs Poor road conditions continue to inflate logistics costs, which rose by 31.8% on average in 2026. The inefficiency led to an estimated waste of 1.04 billion liters of diesel, totaling R$ 6.3 billion in financial losses. These extra costs ultimately pressure freight prices and increase the final cost for Brazilian consumers. ## Public vs Private Management Privately managed roads significantly outperform public ones, with 67% of concessions rated as good or excellent. In contrast, only 31% of public roads achieved similar ratings. Concessionaires invest between 2.8 and 3.4 times more resources per kilometer than the federal government, highlighting a clear disparity in maintenance and infrastructure quality standards. ## Safety and Accident Data The total economic cost of accidents between 2017 and 2026 reached R$ 155.79 billion, covering medical expenses and productivity losses. While only 6.5% of accidents are directly attributed to infrastructure failures, the CNT argues that better road conditions, such as wider shoulders and proper barriers, could significantly reduce the severity of human-error incidents. ## Strategic Resource Allocation The R$ 6.3 billion wasted on excess fuel due to poor road quality could have funded critical energy transition policies. The CNT suggests these funds would be sufficient to support fleet renewal programs, the acquisition of electric trucks, or the promotion of renewable fuels, potentially modernizing the country's entire transport logistics sector. ## Future Outlook Requirements Addressing the remaining 58.9% of deficient roads requires sustained, long-term funding. With R$ 80.98 billion needed for public roads alone, the government faces pressure to increase maintenance budgets. Future progress depends on balancing federal spending with the expansion of private concessions to ensure safer, more efficient transport across the vast country. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.poder360.com.br/poder-infra/rodovias-melhoram-em-2026-mas-59-seguem-com-deficiencia/ — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._