The 116 Sertões Consortium, formed by Nova Infra Invest, the investment fund Galapagos, and the Portuguese construction company Mota-Engil, won the concession for the Rota dos Sertões (BR-116/324/BA/PE), one of the main logistics corridors in northeastern Brazil. The result of the auction, held at B3 in São Paulo, places the group in charge of one of the most strategic highway projects for the logistical integration of Brazil’s Northeast.

The granted corridor includes stretches of the BR-116 and BR-324 highways, linking the ring road of Feira de Santana (BA) to the municipality of Salgueiro (PE), with a total length of approximately 502 kilometers. Along this route, the concession crosses 16 municipalities in the states of Bahia and Pernambuco and connects urban areas, industrial hubs, agricultural zones, and distribution centers, playing a central role in the flow of regional production and in the integration between the Northeast and other markets across the country.

With a 30-year term, the concession provides for approximately R$ 4 billion in investments and initiatives aimed at modernizing the highway, improving road safety, and increasing operational capacity.

The project also has a significant social and environmental impact, with a reduction in accidents, operational and logistical improvements in the region, and lower CO? emissions. In addition, the concession has the potential to generate around 60,000 jobs throughout its implementation, considering direct, indirect, and induced effects.

The event was attended by the Minister of Transport, George Santoro, who explained that this was the first highway concession project in the Northeast region under the current administration. “I wish the companies success so that they deliver a quality service. They will have a great responsibility,” Santoro said.

The importance of the Rota dos Sertões goes far beyond engineering. The stretch is recognized by the federal government and by the market as a structuring axis of regional logistics, with a direct impact on productive chains linked to agribusiness, industry, and trade. The expectation is that the modernization of the highway will help reduce bottlenecks, increase transport predictability, improve traffic conditions, and strengthen the economic competitiveness of the municipalities.

Nova Infra Invest’s return to the country’s investment market reinforces the company’s strategy of consolidating a Latin American infrastructure platform based on active management, strict governance, and a commitment to value creation. With the Rota dos Sertões, the company will now manage a total of 2,200 km of highways.