BR-364

BR-364
Country	Brazil
Type	BR
Route	364
Length km	4350
Direction a	North
Terminus a	Vilhena, Rondônia
Direction b	South
Terminus b	Cuiabá, Mato Grosso
States	Rondônia; Mato Grosso; Acre; Amazonas

BR-364

BR-364 is a major federal highway in Brazil linking Cuiabá and Vilhena across the states of Mato Grosso, Rondônia, Acre and touching logistics to Amazonas. The route connects agricultural corridors near Cerrado frontiers with river ports on the Amazon River, serving corridors used by Embrapa, Sociedade Rural Brasileira and transport operators such as Rodoanel contractors and private logistics firms. Federal authorities in Ministério da Infraestrutura (Brazil) and regional agencies coordinate with companies like Valec and construction groups such as Odebrecht and Camargo Corrêa on upgrades and concessions.

Route description

The highway starts near Cuiabá and runs west through municipalities including Rondonópolis, Primavera do Leste, Tangará da Serra and Juína before entering Vilhena in Rondônia, then extends to connections toward Rio Branco and links to routes reaching Manaus. Along its course BR-364 crosses biomes like the Cerrado and Amazon Rainforest and traverses river basins such as the Madeira River and Ji-Paraná River, passing near transport hubs like the river port at Itacoatiara and agribusiness centers around Sorriso. The corridor intersects federal roads including BR-070, BR-163, BR-174 and state routes tied to municipal centers like Ariquemes and Porto Velho.

History

Construction phases during the 1960s and 1970s involved military and civil planners associated with initiatives connected to the March to the West policy and development programs led during the administration of Emílio Médici and other officials of the Military dictatorship (Brazil). Subsequent expansions and paving projects received funding from programs administered by DNIT and loans involving institutions such as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank to integrate hinterland frontiers with markets in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Later privatizations and concession debates involved companies like CCR S.A. and prompted legal actions in courts including the Supremo Tribunal Federal and appeals before regional Tribunais Regionais Federais.

Economic and social impact

BR-364 underpins agribusiness supply chains for commodities produced by entities like Amaggi and Bunge and links grain corridors from Sorriso and Lucas do Rio Verde to export points near Santarem and ports at Santos. The highway supports cattle operations around Rondônia municipalities and logging activities tied historically to firms in Madeira-Mamoré regions while enabling access for health and education services coordinated by regional secretariats in cities such as Cuiabá and Rio Branco. Investment in the corridor has influenced land markets, attracting settlers from Southern Brazil states like Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul and generating social dynamics addressed by non-governmental organizations including Greenpeace and IBAMA enforcement actions.

Major junctions and towns

Key urban centers along the route include Cuiabá, Rondonópolis, Sorriso, Juína, Juruena, Ariquemes, Vilhena and access nodes toward Rio Branco and Manaus. Major intersections connect with BR-163 near Rondonópolis and BR-070 toward Brasília; nodes at river crossings provide links to ports servicing the Amazon Basin and to rail proposals debated with firms like Vale S.A. and consortia involving Rumo Logística. Logistics terminals and municipal freight yards in towns such as Sorriso and Rondonópolis serve exporters, cooperatives and associations like Cooperativa Central and commodity traders.

Infrastructure and maintenance

Paving, widening and bridge projects have been managed by federal contractors and supervised by DNIT, with financing instruments from bodies such as the BNDES and public-private concessions considered by the Ministério da Economia. Major structures include crossings over tributaries of the Amazon River requiring engineering from firms with experience on projects like the Ponte Rio-Niterói and comparable river-spanning designs. Maintenance cycles are influenced by seasonal rainfall patterns monitored by the Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia and regional works scheduled in coordination with municipal administrations and state secretariats in Mato Grosso and Rondônia.

Environmental and safety concerns

Environmental assessments and licensing for expansion projects involve agencies including IBAMA and MMA (Brazil) because the highway traverses sensitive areas with biodiversity cataloged by researchers at institutions like INPA and Embrapa. Concerns about deforestation near the Amazon Rainforest and impacts on indigenous territories represented by organizations such as FUNAI have prompted civil society responses from groups like SOS Amazônia and litigation in courts including the Supremo Tribunal Federal. Traffic safety statistics compiled by the Polícia Rodoviária Federal and public health reports from state secretariats have driven measures including patrols, checkpoints and infrastructure improvements to reduce accident rates and improve emergency response through coordination with hospitals in Cuiabá and regional medical centers.

Category:Highways in Brazil