The World - News from July 23, 1989
The Inter-American Development Bank has agreed to loan Brazil money to begin paving a highway in the western Amazon, ending a two-year delay caused by environmentalists worried about the road’s effect on the fragile forest. William Ellis, the bank’s representative in Brazil, said the organization will finance 40% of the $146 million needed to complete the jungle project. Planning Minister Joao Batista de Abreu hailed the highway as the “salvation” of the remote Amazon state of Acre, which borders Peru and Bolivia about 2,650 miles northwest of Rio de Janeiro. When completed, the 312-mile highway will link Rio Branco, capital of Acre, and Porto Velho, capital of Rondonia state.
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