Jan 13, 2026
Majority of Improvements on BR-163 to be Completed by end of 2026
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Work on the upgrade of Brazilian Highway BR-163 in Mato Grosso to convert it from a 2-lane highway to a 4-lane limited access highway, is progressing ahead of schedule. The governor of Mato Grosso has indicated that most of the major work on the highway will be completed by the end of 2026. By the end of 2026, the only remaining work will be small sections that still need to be expanded and the building of some urban interchanges.
The State of Mato Grosso took over the improvement project in 2023 when the original contractor indicated that they did not have the resources to complete the project. It was originally scheduled to take eight years to complete, but the state reduced that to five years, and it is actually being completed in less than five years.
BR-163 is now a toll road that runs the entire length of Mato Grosso from north to south and is often referred to as the "Soybean Highway" due to the tremendous number of trucks that transport soybeans on a daily basis. It is arguably the most important highway in Brazil as far as agriculture is concerned. It actually runs from the Amazon River to the southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul.
The large number of trucks made traveling BR-163 very dangerous since passing long lines of slow-moving trucks was very difficult. In sections that have already been expanded, the number of traffic accidents with deaths has declined 95%.
Personal note - Highway BR-163 was a gravel road when I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Mato Grosso in the early 1970s (see earlier photo). For decades, the people of the state have been petitioning the government to improve the highway, and the governor of Mato Grosso should be highly commended for finally accomplishing this goal.