Rodonorte widens loss to US$661k in 2004

Brazilian tollroad operator Rodonorte posted a 1.71mn-real (US$661,000) net loss in 2004, compared to a 1.07mn-real net loss the year before, Rodonorte said in a filing to the country's securities regulator (CVM). For the period, although revenue grew 15% to 209mn reais due to a toll increase and increased traffic, higher operating costs led to a 1.91mn-real net operating loss from a 133,000-real operating loss in 2003. Increased financial outlays also impacted the bottom line. Highway tollroad holding company Companhia de Concessoes Rodoviarias (CCR) controls Rodonorte, which won a 24-year operating contract in 1997 and manages 560km of federal and state highways in Paraná state. CCR plans to invest 53.5mn reais in Rodonorte this year.