BR-364 | |
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Marechal Rondon Highway | |
Section of the highway in Acre
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Route information | |
Length: | 4,324.6 km (2,687.2 mi) |
Existed: | 1960 – present |
Major junctions | |
Southeast end: | Limeira, São Paulo |
São Paulo: BR-456, BR-265 Minas Gerais: BR-497, BR-365 Goiás: BR-483, BR-060, BR-359 Mato Grosso: BR-163, BR-070, BR-174 Mato Grosso/Rondônia: BR-153 Rondônia: BR-435, BR-429, BR-421, BR-319, BR-425 Acre: BR-317 |
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West end: | Mâncio Lima, Acre |
Highway system | |
Highways in Brazil |
BR-364 is an inter-state highway in Brazil connecting the southeast state of São Paulo to the western state of Acre. The highway was opened in the 1960s and paved in the 1980s. It has brought economic development and population growth in the Amazon basin states of Rondônia and Acre. It has also caused massive environmental damage and socio-economic impacts.
BR-364 starts in Limeira in São Paulo state and runs northwest through Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso, Rondônia and Acre to Rodrigues Alves, then on to Mâncio Lima on the frontier with Peru. It passes through the cities of Cuiabá (Mato Grosso), Porto Velho (Rondônia) and Rio Branco (Acre). The all-weather highway gives the people of the remote Amazon states of Rondônia and Acre access to goods, services and people from the well-populated regions around São Paulo. The highway runs through the Cerrado, Pantanal and Amazon rainforest biomes, and through sugar cane, soy bean and cotton farming areas. In some areas it is poorly maintained. At the border between Rondônia and Acre a ferry is used to cross the Madeira River, which can cause major traffic delays.
Construction was initiated by Juscelino Kubitschek in 1961 for the transport of cassiterite for use in Brazilian industry, and to open the west for population. BR-364 and the BR-230 Trans-Amazonian Highway were intended to integrate, protect and bring people to the "undeveloped, unproductive and empty" Amazon. The BR-364, BR-230 and BR-163 highways did provide access to the Amazon basin but also caused destruction of the environment. BR-364 was the first main road between the Amazon basin and the rest of Brazil, and was intended to provide an access route for developing infrastructure between Cuiabá and Porto Velho. It connected São Paulo to the west of Acre.