In 2008 work began to repair the highway, which will provide an alternative to boat travel along the Madeira River or flying between Manaus and Porto Velho.

Protected areas have been created along the route in an effort to prevent deforestation when BR-319 is reopened, a serious concern given the devastation caused elsewhere by highways such as BR-364.

[5] In 2006 the federal government approved a decree that created the Area under Provisional Administration Limitation (ALAP) on both sides of the road.

[4] The ALAP includes almost all the interfluvial region up to Porto Velho, and extends along the west bank of the lower section of the Purus and the Solimões.

[1] The Andrade Gutierrez consortium undertook construction of the road for the Brazilian military government during the period of the economic miracle.

[1] Specifications for the road were weak and it quickly deteriorated due to harsh tropical conditions and lack of maintenance.

Another alternative would be to improve the BR-174 highway from Manaus north to Boa Vista, Roraima, and building a railway from there to ports in Guyana.

[15] After accounting for distortions in the analysis, the project has estimated direct losses of about $162 million, with potential external damage mounting to $1.13 billion.

[6] The purpose is to make it easier to ship products made in factories in the Manaus Free Trade Zone to São Paulo, as an alternative to sending the containers by sea.

[26] In October 2015 IBAMA embargoed work on the middle section after finding evidence of irregularities and serious environmental damage, and imposed a fine of R$7,510,500.

[26] IBAMA reserved the right to suspend the maintenance work if there were any infringements of the rules, failures to provide accurate information or serious environmental or health risks.

[26] As of April 2016 no date had been set for repaving the highway in the middle section, which would depend on completion of an EIA / RIMA.

She said IBAMA's main concern was security guarantees to prevent land invasions, deforestation, illegal mining and other problems.

[27] The highway is surrounded by extensive protected areas, including conservation units – mainly sustainable use – and indigenous territories of people such as the Mura, Munduruku, Apurinã, Paumarí and Parintintín.

Many of the conservation units were created recently as part of efforts by the state and federal governments to mitigate the potential negative effects of repaving the highway.

[4] The minister of the environment, Carlos Minc, supported implementation of what he called a "green sheath" (bolsão verde) around the highway.

[28] An ordinance of 9 January 2012 provided for a consistent and integrated approach to preparing management plans for the federal conservation units in the BR-319 area of influence.

[29] Six Amazonas state conservation units totalling 23,000 square kilometres (8,900 sq mi) were created to help meet the requirements for granting an environmental license for reconstruction work on the BR-319 highway.

[31] The Wildlife Conservation Society of Brazil has initiated a 3-year program to monitor mammals along the highway in the section that runs between the Nascentes do Lago Jari National Park to the west and the Lago do Capanã Grande Extractive Reserve and Rio Amapá Sustainable Development Reserve to the east.