BR-040 is a federal highway of
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. The road connects
Brasilia to
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
.
BR-040 Highway, Brazil
The starting point of the highway is in Brasília at the junction with the BR-450 (Via EPIA) and BR-251 (Via EPCT). The road ends at Praça Mauá at the Port of Rio de Janeiro. The BR-040 traverses Distrito Federal and the states of Goiás, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. It is the main road link between these parts of the country.
In September 2009, the stretch of highway between Brasília (DF) and Petrópolis (RJ) was named President Juscelino Kubitschek Highway.
The BR-040 serves the following town and cities:
*
Brasília
Brasília (; ) is the federal capital of Brazil and seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located at the top of the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region. It was founded by President Juscelino Kubitsche ...
(
DF)
*
Valparaíso de Goiás
Valparaíso de Goiás is a municipality in east-central Goiás state, Brazil.
Location
Valparaíso is located on the plateau known as Planalto Central, southwest of Brasília and is part of the area known as the Entorno do Distrito Federal. The ...
(
GO)
*
Luziânia
Luziânia is municipality in the state of Goiás, Brazil. This city is a producer of agricultural products including soybeans and beans.
Location
Luziânia is located 68 km south of Brasília and is part of the area, called Entorno do Dist ...
(
GO)
*
Cristalina {{Infobox settlement
, name = Cristalina, Goias
, settlement_type = ''Municipalities of Brazil, Municipality''
, official_name = Municipality of Cristalina
, other_name =
, settlement_type ...
(
GO)
*
Paracatu (
MG)
*
João Pinheiro
João is the Portuguese equivalent of the given name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries. Notable people with the name are enumerated in the sections below.
Kings
* ...
(
MG)
*
Três Marias
Três Marias is a Brazilian municipality΄ in northwestern Minas Gerais. In 2020 the population was 32,716 in a total area of 2,763 km2.
Climate
The climate is tropical semi-humid, with an annual average temperature of , and an average annu ...
(
MG)
*
Felixlândia
Felixlândia is a Brazilian municipality located in the northeast of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population was 15,433 living in a total area of . The city belongs to the statistical mesoregion of Central Mineira and to the statistical micr ...
(
MG)
*
Paraopeba
Paraopeba is a Brazilian municipality located in the northeast of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2020 was 24,700 people living in a total area of . The city belongs to the meso-region of Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte and to th ...
(
MG)
*
Caetanópolis
Caetanópolis is a Brazilian municipality located in the northeast of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population was 11,749 people living in a total area of 156 km². The city belongs to the meso-region of Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte and ...
(
MG)
*
Sete Lagoas
Sete Lagoas (meaning 'Seven Lagoons' in Portuguese) is a city in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The municipal area is 537;km² while the population was 241,835 in 2020.
Location
Sete Lagoas is situated about 70 kilometres from Belo Horizo ...
(
MG)
*
Ribeirão das Neves (
MG)
*
Contagem
Contagem () is a city in the center of the state of Minas Gerais, in Brazil. It is only from the capital, Belo Horizonte, and forms part of a metropolitan area with a population of 4.8 million.
Geography
The city belongs to the metropolitan meso ...
(
MG)
*
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte (, ; ) is the sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population around 2.7 million and with a metropolitan area of 6 million people. It is the 13th-largest city in South America and the 18th-largest in the Americas. The metropol ...
(
MG)
*
Congonhas
Congonhas (Congonhas do Campo until 1948) is a historical Brazilian city located in the state of Minas Gerais. It is situated south from Belo Horizonte, the capital of state of Minas Gerais, by the highway BR-040. As of 2020, the city had a popul ...
(
MG)
*
Conselheiro Lafaiete
Conselheiro Lafaiete is a city of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It was known as Queluz until 1934, when it was renamed by decree, as a tribute to Counselor Lafayette Rodrigues Pereira
It is situated 96 km south from Belo Horizonte, cap ...
(
MG)
*
Cristiano Otoni
Cristiano Otoni is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the mesoregion Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte and to the microregion of Conselheiro Lafaiete. As of 2020, the estimated population was 5,1 ...
(
MG)
*
Carandaí (
MG)
*
Ressaquinha
Ressaquinha is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the mesoregion of Campo das Vertentes and to the microregion of Barbacena. In 2020, the estimated population was 4,817.
See also
* List of municipa ...
(
MG)
*
Alfredo Vasconcelos (
MG)
*
Barbacena
Barbacena is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. As of 2020, the municipality had 138,204 inhabitants. The total area of the municipality is .
It is in the foothills of the Serra da Mantiqueira south of the state capital Belo ...
(
MG)
*
Santos Dumont (
MG)
*
Ewbank da Câmara (
MG)
*
Juiz de Fora
Juiz de Fora (, '' Outsider Judge''), also known as J.F., is a city in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, approximately from the state border with Rio de Janeiro. According to 2020 estimates the current population is about 57 ...
(
MG)
*
Matias Barbosa
Matias Barbosa is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil.
See also
*List of municipalities in Minas Gerais
This is a list of the municipalities in the state of Minas Gerais (MG), located in the Southeast ...
(
MG)
*
Simão Pereira (
MG)
*
Comendador Levy Gasparian
Comendador Levy Gasparian () is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous ...
(
RJ)
*
Três Rios
Três Rios (, ) is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. As of 2020 its population was an estimated 82,142 inhabitants, and its area is around . The current mayor of Três Rios is Joacir Barbaglio Pereira (known as Joa ...
(
RJ)
*
Areal (
RJ)
*
Petrópolis
Petrópolis (; ), also known as The Imperial City, is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil. It is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro, northeast of the ci ...
(
RJ)
*
Duque de Caxias
Duque is a Spanish surname meaning "duke".
People
Notable people with the name include:
* Jaime Enrique Duque Correa (1943–2013), Colombian Roman Catholic bishop
* Andrés Duque (21st century), American activist
* Carlos Duque (1930–2014), Pa ...
(
RJ)
*
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
(
RJ)
Today's BR-040 came into being in 1973 by means of the National Transportation Plan. The initial draft saw the highway planned from Brasília to
São João da Barra
São João da Barra () is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. Its population was 36,423 (2020) and its area is 459 km².
It is home to the Superporto do Açu.
History
Until the arrival of the Portuguese in Brazi ...
, (RJ). With the revision, the stretch between
Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte (, ; ) is the sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population around 2.7 million and with a metropolitan area of 6 million people. It is the 13th-largest city in South America and the 18th-largest in the Americas. The metropol ...
and São João da Barra became part of the
BR-356 as part of the Rio stretch of the BR-040. This was originally part of the
BR-135
BR-135 is a federal highway of Brazil. The 2518 kilometre road connects São Luís to Belo Horizonte.
The road passes through the MATOPIBA region (in the south of Maranhão and Piauí and in the west of Bahia), which is an important producer of ...
. Until 1964, the stretch between Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte was called the BR-3.
Two stretches of the BR-040 are important to the history of Brazilian roads. The stretch between Petrópolis and Juiz de Fora included the
Estrada União e Indústria The Estrada de Rodagem União e Indústria (''Union and Industry Highway''), connecting the cities of Petrópolis and Juiz de Fora in the southeast of Brazil, was the first macadamized road in Latin America. It was opened on 23 June 1861 by the emp ...
, the first Brazilian highway, inaugurated on July 23, 1861 by
Dom Pedro II
Don (honorific), Dom PedroII (2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed "the Magnanimity, Magnanimous" ( pt, O Magnânimo), was the List of monarchs of Brazil, second and last monarch of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. ...
. This stretch was replaced by the actual Rio de Janeiro-Juiz de Fora road in 1980. The stretch of the BR-040 situated between Petrópolis (RJ) and Rio de Janeiro (RJ) was named the Washington Luiz highway
in honour of the
ex-president of the republic who had it built during his 1926-1930 term. In 1931, the
asphalt concrete
Asphalt concrete (commonly called asphalt, blacktop, or pavement in North America, and tarmac, bitumen macadam, or rolled asphalt in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland) is a composite material commonly used to surface roads, parkin ...
road was the first of its kind in the country.
This stretch of the BR-040 between Juiz de Fora and Rio de Janeiro has been managed by the
Companhia de Concessão Rodoviária Juiz de Fora-Rio de Janeiro (Concer) since 1996.
A significant urban stretch of the BR-040 in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
is made up of the
Avenida Brasil
along with the BR-101 and
Avenida Rodrigues Alves. After crossing the
Rio Meriti and passing by Duque de Caxias, the highway ends at
Praça Mauá.
History of the Washington Luiz highway
In the year 1926 President of the Republic Washington Luís declared to the nation that "governing means opening roads". By 1927, Brazil had 93,682 cars and 38,075 trucks. The Federal District and the State of Rio de Janeiro counted 13,252 cars and 5,452 trucks.
One of the priorities was the Rio-Petrópolis highway, especially since the national press had heavily criticised the abandonment of the road to the Imperial City. Nevertheless, torrential rain poured down for two summers, washing away the sand and gravel required to surface the road. Impassable ruts formed on the tarmac. One newspaper commented on the delays, at a time when coupés, cabriolets and cockroaches all boarded the wagons of the Leopoldina.
The tools of the day were the pick, shovel, hoe and donkey cart. An outbreak of malaria occurred in the lowlands, while in the mountains of Petrópolis workers were forced to live in makeshift accommodation.
President Washington Luís, alongside his ministers and regional authorities, inaugurated the Rio-Petrópolis highway on the 25th of August 1928. The road measured eight metres wide. The next day was a Sunday. No less than 1,783 cars took to the road, causing a reporter to compare the long, slow queues to those of Avenida Central. Just two days later, many road users admitted to being frightened by the sheer height of the trucks. Three years later, the mountain stretch was being surfaced. Three flyovers were built high above the rocky valley floor.
The former Rio-Petrópolis was long considered the finest highway in South America. In the 1950s the Petrópolis bypass was built, linking Itaipava to Xerém. This then became used as a route down from the mountains. Currently the old Washington Luiz serves as access road from the BR-040 to the arrival at Petrópolis (Quitandinha). Then, the Rio-Juiz de Fora meets the Rio-Teresópolis highway (BR-493 and BR-116).
The road from Petrópolis - Juiz de Fora
This stretch replaced the old Union and Industry road, the first Brazilian highway, which opened in 1861. Work began in 1975 and lasted 5 years, being completed on 15 June 1980. The finished road crosses mountainous, hilly and flat zones and is dual carriageway ( wide) throughout, although single carriageway was present from Matias Barbosa to the outskirts of Juiz de Fora until upgraded by Concer between 2005 and 2009 as far as km 773.
On the long journey from Petrópolis to Juiz de Fora, the BR-040 passes through seven
municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
. Traffic volume is around 7000 vehicles per day on this route with less from Rio-Bahia, according to the DNIT. On the 1st of March 1996, the stretch from Rio de Janeiro to Juiz de Fora was privatised and is under management for a period of 25 years by Concer. There are three tolls on the road, two in Rio de Janeiro at km 104 (
Duque de Caxias
Duque is a Spanish surname meaning "duke".
People
Notable people with the name include:
* Jaime Enrique Duque Correa (1943–2013), Colombian Roman Catholic bishop
* Andrés Duque (21st century), American activist
* Carlos Duque (1930–2014), Pa ...
) and km 45 (
Areal) and one in Minas Gerais at km 814 (
Simão Pereira)
From Juiz de Fora - Belo Horizonte
This stretch is long and corresponds approximately to the route of the Caminho Novo which opened in the Eighteenth Century. In the 1930s the road was straightened and extended to Belo Horizonte. On the 1st of February 1957 the BR-3 highway was officially opened by then president Juscelino Kubitschek. In 1982, the highway was widened from Belo Horizonte to the junction with the BR-356 for Ouro Preto, as was the stretch from Alfredo Vasconcelos to Serra da Mantiqueira near Santos Dumont. It was widened all the way to Juiz de Fora, except sections on bridges and overpasses. Since the mid-1990s further stretches have been widened.
Several danger spots are present on the highway such as the Curva do Ribeirão do Eixo (Km 588),
Viaduto do Túnel (Km 756) among others. The most dangerous part of the road is the section between
Conselheiro Lafaiete
Conselheiro Lafaiete is a city of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It was known as Queluz until 1934, when it was renamed by decree, as a tribute to Counselor Lafayette Rodrigues Pereira
It is situated 96 km south from Belo Horizonte, cap ...
and the state capital.
In 1970, Toni Tornado won the Festival Internacional da Canção with soul song BR-3.
The Sete Lagoas stretch: BR-135
Between the capital of Minas Gerais and Sete Lagoas the road is dual carriageway. From there on until
Brasília
Brasília (; ) is the federal capital of Brazil and seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located at the top of the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region. It was founded by President Juscelino Kubitsche ...
the BR-040 is single carriageway. Over the years the northern part of Minas Gerais has developed and the increasing flow of vehicles, mostly trucks loaded with coal for steel works, has made the journey untenable. Long delays during festive periods were commonplace.
Roadworks were planned to widen the BR-040 highway by the Federal Government in January 2007, beginning with the stretch between
Sete Lagoas
Sete Lagoas (meaning 'Seven Lagoons' in Portuguese) is a city in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The municipal area is 537;km² while the population was 241,835 in 2020.
Location
Sete Lagoas is situated about 70 kilometres from Belo Horizo ...
and the junction with the BR-135 at o
Trevão de Curvelo. Altogether a 48 km stretch was widened, with two lanes on each side separated by flowerbeds. Only small sections of road remain under construction, with most of them already receiving traffic. Further bridges and viaducts have been scheduled for construction. In the case of
Paraopeba
Paraopeba is a Brazilian municipality located in the northeast of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2020 was 24,700 people living in a total area of . The city belongs to the meso-region of Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte and to th ...
, traffic now bypasses the city whereas before it passed through.
According to the DNIT, this stretch has a daily flow of around 15,000 vehicles. It is of strategic importance for the region's raw material industries including coal.
Gallery
AvenidaBrasilRJ.jpg, BR-040 on arrival in the city of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
.
Arco Metropolitano (2).jpg, Arco Metropolitano do Rio de Janeiro interchange over BR-040.
Indústria Itaipava em Pedro do Rio.jpg, BR-040 in the Pedro do Rio district (in Petrópolis
Petrópolis (; ), also known as The Imperial City, is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil. It is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro, northeast of the ci ...
), next to the Grupo Petrópolis brewery.
Anchored wall.jpg, Section of the BR-040 in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
.
Estrada para Juiz de Fora MG.jpg, BR-040 near Juiz de Fora
Juiz de Fora (, '' Outsider Judge''), also known as J.F., is a city in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, approximately from the state border with Rio de Janeiro. According to 2020 estimates the current population is about 57 ...
, Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...
.
Ronaldronald -Belo Horizonte bairro Califórnia Anel Rodoviário sentido Rio.jpg, Celso Mello Azevedo Ring Road, in Greater Belo Horizonte
Belo Horizonte (, ; ) is the sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population around 2.7 million and with a metropolitan area of 6 million people. It is the 13th-largest city in South America and the 18th-largest in the Americas. The metropol ...
, on its stretch towards Belo Horizonte-access to Rio de Janeiro
Carrobh.JPG, Car in the south of Nossa Senhora do Carmo (BR-040), in Belo Horizonte.
Br 040 e 050 em Cristalina.JPG, Section of BR-040 at the junction with BR-050
BR-050 is a federal highway of Brazil. The 1025.3 kilometre road connects Brasília to Santos. Inside of São Paulo, the highway also receives the designation of Rodovia Anhanguera (SP-330).
Economic importance
The BR-050 is undoubtedly one o ...
in Cristalina {{Infobox settlement
, name = Cristalina, Goias
, settlement_type = ''Municipalities of Brazil, Municipality''
, official_name = Municipality of Cristalina
, other_name =
, settlement_type ...
, Goiás
Goiás () is a Brazilian state located in the Center-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The state capital is Goiânia. ...
.
Divisa Distrito Federal-Goiás.jpg, Concomitant stretch with BR-050
BR-050 is a federal highway of Brazil. The 1025.3 kilometre road connects Brasília to Santos. Inside of São Paulo, the highway also receives the designation of Rodovia Anhanguera (SP-330).
Economic importance
The BR-050 is undoubtedly one o ...
, close to Valparaíso de Goiás
Valparaíso de Goiás is a municipality in east-central Goiás state, Brazil.
Location
Valparaíso is located on the plateau known as Planalto Central, southwest of Brasília and is part of the area known as the Entorno do Distrito Federal. The ...
, on the border between the Federal District
A federal district is a type of administrative division of a federation, usually under the direct control of a federal government and organized sometimes with a single municipal body. Federal districts often include capital districts, and they e ...
and Goiás
Goiás () is a Brazilian state located in the Center-West region. Goiás borders the Federal District and the states of (from north clockwise) Tocantins, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. The state capital is Goiânia. ...
.
References
{{Federal highways in Brazil
Federal highways in Brazil
Highways in Rio de Janeiro (state)