The images of works on a highway used in a post on Facebook claiming to be a stretch of the BR-116 in Ceará are true. The improvements were actually made between 2019 and 2021, during the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), by the Dnit (National Department of Transport Infrastructure), an autarchy linked to the Ministry of Infrastructure.
As verified by the Comprova Project, fill-in-the-wall and track restoration works were carried out, among others, in 138 km of the total more than 500 km of the federal highway in the state.
Proved, for Comprova, is content that represents a true fact.
How do we check?
Searches were carried out on Google, the press and on Dnit’s social networks to locate the origin of the images.
We consulted Dnit for more information about the work represented by the post. The Ceará Infrastructure Secretariat and the Public Works Superintendence were also contacted.
Verification
The origin of photos
The first step was to try to find the origin of the photos through Google’s reverse search engine, used to find identical or similar images that have been published on the internet. As it didn’t show any image compatible with the one we were looking for, the next step was to do a search with the keywords “obras”, “BR 116” and “Ceará”.
This research led to news published on the federal government’s page about road rehabilitation works on the highway, but without the photos used in the post. The maintenance services were carried out by the National Department of Transport Infrastructure, which gave us more clues to follow in our search for the images.
Dnit is a federal agency that is very active in social media. Therefore, we performed an advanced search for the term “BR-116/CE” on the agency’s official Twitter.
Thus, we found the photos posted on September 30, 2020. The agency informed that the photos were from a road maintenance service on BR-116 in Ceará, between km 377 and km 378, in Icó.
repairs
We contacted Dnit for more information. In a statement, the agency informed that “works to fill holes, deep patching, rebuilding the carriageway, as well as cleaning and preserving the right-of-way” were carried out along 138.3 km. Also according to the agency, the highway in the state is 551.4 km long.
The works were carried out from August 2019 to August 2021, with funding from the federal government. The total amount was R$19,098,105.04.
The press office of the Superintendency of Public Works stated via WhatsApp that there are no state works on the BR-116. The Infrastructure Department stated that it has no works on this stretch.
Press
Even though the images are real and show the location mentioned in the post, the assertion that the maintenance works on the BR-116 were not registered by the press is unfounded. This year, Diário do Nordeste reported that 1,300 km of 14 damaged federal highways started to receive maintenance works in Ceará.
Dnit informed the report that the services would take place in stretches located in Fortaleza, Pacajus and Russas, as well as in Jaguaribe and Icó. The services performed, also according to the article, were digging, preserving and filling holes.
Why do we investigate?
In its fourth phase, Comprova checks suspicious content about the federal government, pandemics and elections that have reached a high level of viralization. The checked post was shared at least 23,800 times and received 20,500 reactions on Facebook, according to the network analysis tool CrowdTangle.
It was shared in a support group for President Jair Bolsonaro. The execution of works and investment in infrastructure are one of the central pillars of the federal government. The post also has a pejorative tone in relation to the media, a strategy used by Bolsonaro to discredit negative news about his administration.
Comprova has already shown false posts claiming that Bolsonaro would be distributing machines that had been stopped since the Dilma government. In fact, the equipment was purchased through parliamentary amendments in a scheme widely investigated for suspected irregularities.
We also checked the case of the asphalt that gave way on a stretch of BR-319 in Amazonas. Unlike a viral post, he did not receive structural works in the current federal administration.
Proven, for Comprova, is content that represents a true fact and that had its information confirmed.
Comprova performed this verification based on information available on December 3rd of 2021.
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I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.