VINCI Highways has taken over operations of the Belo Horizonte-Cristalina highway (Via Cristais) in Brazil. This deal is for a 30-year concession contract and was awarded by the Brazilian National Land Transportation Agency (ANTT) in September 2024.
VINCI Highways has hired and trained a team of 300 employees, opened a new control centre, restarted tolling and resumed essential services. It will now start preparing works to expand capacity and improve safety. Construction will be carried out alongside live traffic and will be completed by 2031. The work will also require extensive sub-contracting operations, which will be of benefit for local firms.
Nicolas Notebaert, CEO of Concessions at VINCI said: ‘We’re very happy to take over operations on Belo Horizonte-Cristalina highway. This new milestone marks a significant step in VINCI Concessions’ development in Brazil and is yet another illustration of our commitment to contributing to the country’s growth and enhancing connectivity for its people, with airports and highways.”
Belen Marcos, executive vice president of VINCI Concessions and president of VINCI Highways, declared: “The operational resumption of Via Cristais was carried out in an exemplary manner by our teams, who accomplished remarkable work in preparation. This commitment will remain our driving force for deploying our modernisation and expansion plan, with a dual objective: to improve the experience of drivers and support local economic dynamism.”
