By Brazil Stock Guide – EPR won the auction for Brazil’s Régis Bittencourt highway concession on Thursday after offering a 22.53% discount to the reference toll tariff, securing control of one of the country’s most important freight corridors.
The company outbid Motiva, formerly known as CCR, which offered a 12.10% discount, and incumbent operator Arteris, whose proposal included a 0.01% discount.
The 15-year concession covers a 383-kilometer stretch of the BR-116 highway between Embu das Artes, in the São Paulo metropolitan region, and Curitiba, crossing 26 municipalities in the states of São Paulo and Paraná.
The contract calls for approximately R$ 7.2 billion in capital expenditure, as well as R$ 4.06 billion in operating and maintenance spending over the concession period.
Planned upgrades include 69 kilometers of additional lanes, 32 kilometers of frontage roads, 18 pedestrian overpasses and a redundant connection through Serra do Cafezal, one of the highway’s most challenging sections for freight traffic and road safety.
The Régis Bittencourt is the main road link between São Paulo and Curitiba and forms part of a strategic logistics corridor connecting industrial and agricultural hubs in Brazil’s South and Southeast to the ports of Santos and Paranaguá.
EPR is a Brazilian infrastructure platform focused on toll-road concessions and mobility assets. The company is jointly controlled by infrastructure group Equipav and investment funds managed by Perfin. With the Régis Bittencourt contract, its portfolio will exceed 4,000 kilometers of highways across São Paulo, Paraná and Minas Gerais.
The concession marks EPR’s entry into São Paulo state and further strengthens its presence across Brazil’s South-Southeast corridor. The company also expects to capture operational synergies with assets it already manages in Paraná, including maintenance, traffic management, procurement and roadside services.
“The Régis Bittencourt is a strategic asset for Brazil because of its logistical importance, established demand and role in connecting production centers with export corridors,” EPR Chief Executive José Carlos Cassaniga said in a statement.
The new contract follows the restructuring of the existing concession operated by Arteris, with the federal government holding a competitive process aimed at securing a new investment cycle for the highway.
EPR said its initial priorities will include pavement rehabilitation, improved road signage, restoration of operating facilities, deployment of roadside assistance services and technical assessments to guide subsequent investment phases.
The company estimates that the project could generate more than 102,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs over the life of the concession.
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