Odebrecht Returns to Brazil Highways in $1.69bn Concession
BRAZIL · INFRASTRUCTURE
—The auction: A consortium named 116 Sertões won the auction for the Rota dos Sertões highway concession on Thursday, May 28, at the B3 exchange in São Paulo.
—The members: The group comprises Portugal’s Mota-Engil, Brazil’s Odebrecht and Neo Invest, and will run the concession for 30 years.
—The value: The contract foresees R$4.13bn ($821m) in works and R$4.40bn ($875m) in operating costs over three decades, roughly R$8.5bn ($1.69bn) in all.
—The route: The highway runs along the BR-116 between Feira de Santana in Bahia and Salgueiro in Pernambuco, crossing 16 municipalities over more than 500 kilometres.
—The significance: It marks Odebrecht’s return to federal road concessions after the fallout from the Lava Jato corruption investigation.
A consortium led by Portugal’s Mota-Engil and Brazil’s Odebrecht won the auction for a major highway concession in Brazil’s northeast, a 30-year contract worth about R$8.5bn ($1.69bn). The deal marks Odebrecht’s return to federal road concessions after the Lava Jato scandal and brings the northeast into the government’s roster of federal highway concessions.
What was auctioned
The 116 Sertões consortium, made up of the Portuguese builder Mota-Engil, the Brazilian contractor Odebrecht and Neo Invest, won the auction for the Rota dos Sertões on Thursday and will administer the concession for 30 years. The contest, held at the B3 exchange in São Paulo, also drew a second consortium, Atlas Rodovias, formed by Yvy Capital with Infra Brasil Investimento and the Houer group.
The contract foresees R$4.13bn ($821m) in expansion and modernisation works and R$4.40bn ($875m) in operating costs over the three decades of the concession, a total of roughly R$8.5bn ($1.69bn). The stretch had been managed by ViaBahia since 2009.
Where the highway runs
The concession crosses 16 municipalities along the BR-116 federal highway, between the ring road of Feira de Santana in Bahia and Salgueiro in Pernambuco, the latter a crossing point with the BR-232 and a main land access route to the Pernambuco interior. The contract covers more than 500 kilometres, with around 90 kilometres of duplication and 41 kilometres of multi-lane sections.
Transport Minister George Santoro said the auction marked the entry of the northeast into the federal government’s portfolio of road concessions, describing the route as a strategic logistics corridor linking Bahia to Pernambuco and connecting the BR-116 to the Transnordestina railway. He said the economic model sought to keep tolls low, with the lowest per-kilometre tariff of the government’s current round of road auctions.
Odebrecht’s return
The result marks the return of Odebrecht to federal road concessions after the consequences of Operation Lava Jato, the sprawling corruption investigation that engulfed the company. It was not the firm’s first recent attempt to re-enter the sector: in October 2025 it bid for a highway lot in Mato Grosso but lost to another group. This time the strategy succeeded.
Mota-Engil, the Portuguese partner, is also responsible for building the Santos-Guarujá tunnel in São Paulo and has been in talks to acquire Bamin, the current concessionaire of the West-East Integration Railway (Fiol).
The Chinese connection
The deal carries an indirect Chinese dimension. China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) holds a 32.4% stake in Mota-Engil, making the Chinese state-owned group a significant shareholder in the Portuguese builder rather than a direct member of the winning consortium.
CCCC has other interests in Brazil, including a public-private partnership to build a bridge between Salvador and Itaparica Island in Bahia. The Rota dos Sertões concession is, at its core, a Brazilian-Portuguese venture, with the Chinese link running through Mota-Engil’s ownership structure.
Who won the concession?
The 116 Sertões consortium, made up of Portugal’s Mota-Engil, Brazil’s Odebrecht and Neo Invest, for a 30-year term.
What is the Rota dos Sertões?
A highway concession along the BR-116 between Feira de Santana in Bahia and Salgueiro in Pernambuco, covering more than 500 kilometres across 16 municipalities.
How much is it worth?
Roughly R$8.5bn ($1.69bn) over 30 years: R$4.13bn ($821m) in works and R$4.40bn ($875m) in operating costs.
Is there a Chinese stake?
Indirectly. China’s CCCC holds 32.4% of Mota-Engil, one of the consortium members, but is not itself a direct member.
For more from the region, see our Latin America business coverage.