Brazil’s government announces a $75 million investment to rehabilitate the BR-319 highway, a road that cuts through the Amazon rainforest and has limited usability for decades. Reporting on the announcement says the project is aimed at restoring the route between the states of Amazonas and Rondonia, where the highway has been mostly unpaved since the late 20th century and has not been usable in parts since 1988. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva says the works will be among the most environmentally advanced road projects in the world, and the government also unveils an environmental protection plan intended to reduce ecological harm. Multiple outlets report that environmentalists oppose or express concern that paving and improving the highway could increase access to remote areas and accelerate deforestation, potentially worsening climate change. Deutsche Welle and several others frame the decision as a debate over whether mitigation measures can offset risks associated with road expansion in sensitive rainforest areas. The reporting does not indicate a final timeline for construction beyond the announced investment.