Brazilian Highway System

Brazilian federal roads ( Portuguese: rodovias federais ) are Brazilian state lines cross major roads. Your name starts with the initials BR, followed by a three digit number. The representation in maps and road signs is usually in the form of a blazon.

In 2011, its total length was 61,961 km, which corresponds to about 7 % of the total Brazilian road network.

For the fight against crime, the traffic control and safety on the highways, the Polícia Federal Rodoviária (PRF ) is responsible.

Numbering

The main roads and their numbering are numbered according to their geographical history:

Radial federal roads

Radially extending federal roads ( Portuguese: Rodovia radiais ) begin in Brasília and run jet form on the Brazilian federal territory. Your numeric identification begins with a zero ( 0) and the subsequent two-digit numbering ranges 05-95 and increases clockwise with are so far only multiples of ten ( 10 ) were used. Thus, the BR -010 to the north and the BR -070 runs west. The chainage starts on the Ringstrasse Viario Anel de Brasília (DF -001) in Brasília.

Longitudinal federal roads

Longitudinally extending federal roads ( Portuguese: Rodovia Longitudinais ) run in a north-south direction and begin with the number one (1). Thus, the BR -101 runs along the Brazilian Atlantic coast from north to south. The chainage starts in the south.

Transversal extending federal roads

Transversal extending federal roads ( Portuguese: Rodovia Transversais ) run in an east-west direction and begin with the number 2 For example, the Transamazônica called BR -230

Diagonal highways

Diagonal highways ( Portuguese: Rodovia Diagonais ) run in the northeast-southwest ( NE-SW ) - or northwest-southeast ( NW-SE ) direction and begin with the number three ( 3). NE-SW directed federal highways end with an odd number, NW-SE running with an even number.

Unifying federal roads

Connection resp. connecting national roads ( Portuguese: Rodovia de Ligação ) start with a 4, featuring a trunk road which connect two of the above federal roads.

Chainage

The chainage starts with a State Border crossing again at zero. Also why the official designation of a main road nor the two-digit ISO code of the state is appended. So called BR -070 -MT federal road section in Mato Grosso.