Too much is lacking to become good

According to the last research of CNT, the quality of our roads worsened in 2013 if compared to 2012. The results of new concessions will appear only in the next year

General conditions of Brazilian roads worsened in the last year. The report of 2013 showed that 36.2 percent (35002 km) of the roads evaluated were classified as excellent or good. The remaining 63.8 percent (61712 km) were qualified as regular, bad or extremely bad, due to some compromising in pavement, signalization or geometry of the road. Analyzing the evolution of the results, compared to 2012, we may see a reduction of the total length considered excellent or good and an increase of the percent of roads classified as regular or bad.

Looking to the results of the general classification of the roads by region, we may see that South and Southeast regions had the largest percent of roads classified as excellent or good (54.7 and 51.4 percent respectively). On the other extreme, the North region had the highest percent (87.8%) of sections classified as regular, bad or extremely bad, followed by the regions Center-West and Northeast with accumulated values of 75.2 and 74.9 percent. It is important to point out that the regions South and Southeast concentrate 93.1 percent of the roads under concession in the country, confirming the necessity of improving management and increasing interventions in public-managed roads.

According to the CNT Road Survey 2013, 63.8 percent of the inspected length showed some deficiency in pavement, signalization or geometry. In 2012, this index was 62.7 percent. Critical points also increased, going from 221 to 250. Critical points are defined as situations that bring  high risks to the  users’ safety, such as erosions in the pavement, large potholes, fall of barriers or fallen bridges. In terms of signalization, 67.3 percent of the analyzed length showed some problem. During the last year this percent was of 66.2 percent. Pavement  had some problem in 46.9 percent of the total. In 2012 this percent was 45.9%. And considering the geometry, the percent that is not in appropriate condition passed from 77.4 to 77.9 percent.  According to the study, most of the extension considered (88 percent) is of single track with both directions and 40.5 percent of the total do not have shoulders.

This is the 17th edition of the CNT Road Survey, that analyzed 96714 km of roads in 30 days of field work. All the federal paved network and the main state-managed roads were inspected. The survey was carried out in 80841 km of roads under public management and 15873 km of roads under concession, totalizing 96714 km.

Inspection works included 10895 km in the North Region, 26957 km in the Northeast Region, 27165 km in the Southeast region, 17020 km in the South Region and 14677 in the Center-West Region. From the total of public-managed roads, 65443 km are federal and 31271 km are managed by state governments.

According to the president of CNT, senator Clésio Andrade, the figures show an urgent necessity of increasing the investments in Brazilian roads, mainly in duplication. “The government has difficulties in management. Many projects do not become reality. There is an excess of bureaucracy. The investments have to be increased hardly to allow Brazil to improve its competitiveness”, says the senator.

In 2013, the total authorized by the federal government for road investment was  R$ 12.7 billion, a small value if compared to the R$ 355.2 billion that CNT estimates  as the total needed to repair the whole road network of the country. But only 33.2 percent (R$ 4.2 billion) were paid till October. In 2012, R$ 9.4 billion (50.3 percent) of the authorized total (R$ 18.7 billion) were paid.

The president of CNT also pointed out that the current situation of Brazilian roads has a bad effect for transport and for the economy efficiency. “The conditions of the pavement generate an average increase of 25 percent in the  operating cost for the transporters in the country. This value is too high and makes difficult the development”, says the senator Clésio Andrade. The region that shows the highest increase in these operating costs was  North (39.5 percent), followed by Center-West (26.8 percent), Northeast (25.5 percent) and Southeast (21.5 percent). The lowest increase was verified in the South Region (19 percent).

Concession

The survey confirms each year the difference of quality in the roads managed by the government and those managed by private concessionaries. Senator Clésio Andrade emphasizes that “concessions are fundamental to ensure the investment needed to improve the road infrastructure of the country”. The comparison with conceded roads shows that most difficulties are in the roads maintained by federal and state governments. Considering their general conditions, only 2.7 percent of the length under public management were considered excellent and 24 percent were considered good. Analyzing the conditions of conceded roads, the percents of excellent and good were respectively 48.5 and 35.9 percent.

Roads in good conditions are also fundamental for the environment since they ensure  an economy up to 5 percent in fuel consumption if compared with roads that present any kind of problem. If we consider the diesel consumption of the country in 2013, an improvement in pavement conditions would make possible an economy of 661 million liters (R$ 1.39 billion) and a reduction of 1.77 megatons of emissions of carbon dioxide, the main cause of the greenhouse effect.

The CNT Road Survey is an important tool to know better the profile of the road network, to know its main problems and to drive the appropriate investment in the public policies to ensure transport of quality. It is the best national evaluation of road infrastructure carried out in the country. In Brazil, about 65 percent of cargo and 90 percent of passenger transport are carried out by road. The study of CNT is one more contribution of this entity to allow the constant improvement and growth of the transport sector in Brazil.

Among the features inspected, it was observed that inefficient roads increase the cost of vehicle maintenance, as well as the consumption of fuel, lubricant, tire and brakes. The average increase in the operating cost due to bad conditions of pavement in most Brazilian roads is 25 percent.

Considering the total inspected length in terms of pavement: 46.9 percent showed some type of problem; 43.0 percent had wear in the pavement surface and 85 percent of roads under concession were classified as excellent or good. Considering the operating cost, bad roads increase maintenance costs of vehicles and increase the consumption of fuel, lubricants, tires and brakes. The average increase in operating costs due to bad pavement conditions is 25 percent.

In the environmental point of view, if the pavement of all Brazilian roads would be classified as excellent or good in 2013, this would allow an economy up to 5 percent in the total fuel consumption, corresponding to 661 million liters of diesel oil (R$ 1.39 billion) and a reduction of 1.77 megatons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Considering the conditions of pavement and signalization in the whole inspected length:

- 67.3 percent showed some type of problem;

- 78.7 percent of the roads under public management have problems

- 25.2 percent do not have speed limit indication

- 55.8 percent have wear in the central horizontal signalization or have no horizontal signalization

- 63.2 percent do not have horizontal signalization  (or have paint wear) in the sides

In terms of geometry,  77.9 percent have some type of problem. Single tracks with flow in both directions correspond to 88 percent of the inspected length;  40.5 percent  have no shoulder; 56.7 percent of the inspected length had no warning plates in dangerous curves and had incomplete protections.

Increase of critical points

There was an increase of critical points, that correspond to atypical situations occurred along the roads that may bring heavy risks to the safety of the users and additional operating costs due to the possibility of severe vehicle damages, as well as increase in the voyage time and in the expenses with fuel; 250 events were verified in 2013 (fall of barriers or bridges, erosions, large potholes).

Federal public investment in roads during 2013 (data from October 8) decreased if compared to 2012. From the total authorized of R$ 12.7 billion only R$ 4.2 billion (33.2 percent) were paid. In 2012, the authorized total was of R$ 18.7 billion and the total paid was of R$ 9.4 billion (50.3 percent).

According to the plan of CNT, the needs of investment point to the duplication of 30,000 km and to more 18,000 km of new roads to be built. This investment in roads (including duplication, construction and other interventions) reaches the sum of R$ 355.2 billion.

Using study data we established a ranking of the ten best road connections. Connections are road sections—including one or more federal or state paved roads with huge social and economic importance and  with a significant volume of cargo or passenger traffic—that connect areas of one or more units of the Federation.

Generally, the ten best connections are formed by conceded roads and all of them pass through the state of São Paulo. The first place in this ranking was São Paulo (SP) – Limeira (SP), composed by the roads SP – 310/BR-364, SP-348 and the last place was Belém (PA) – Guaraí (TO) composed by the roads BR-222, PA-150, PA-151, PA-252, PA-287, PA-447, PA-475, PA-483, TO-336.

A study carried out by the University of São Paulo confirms that one of the factors that have great influence on the energy efficiency of road cargo transport is the pavement quality. To have an idea, the autonomy of a vehicle that is in a road with appropriate conditions of pavement is 5 percent superior in average to that of a road with non-appropriate pavement. CNT 2013 Road Survey shows that 46.90 percent of the roads have regular, bad or extremely bad pavement. This situation increases the fuel consumption of the vehicles that pass through them, having direct consequences on freight cost and in emissions. If these roads were classified as good or excellent, considering the diesel consumption of the vehicles that are using them (trucks and buses) there would be an economy of 661 million liters of diesel in 2013.

Projecting the road improvement and the increase of the fleet to 2020, this total would be 858 million liters, what would represent an economy of R$ 1.39 billion in 2013 and of R$ 1.80 billion in 2020, considering an average cost of R$ 2.10 per liter.

In addition, there would be a significant decrease  in local emissions: CO2 would be reduced in 1.77 MtCO2 in 2013, getting 2.29 MtCO2 in 2020. According to the PSTM, there is a projection of emission reduction for cargo road transport in 2020 of 2.024 MtCO2, where gains coming from pavement improvement were not considered.

If pavement improvements are performed, this projection could be enlarged in more than 100 percent, resulting in 4.176 MtCO2, since the emissions prevented in trucks would reach 2.15 MtCO2. The results of the survey point to the necessity of better quality of Brazilian roads, not only due to competitiveness and development but also due to energy and environment questions, strategic for the progress of the country.