The BR-381 is a Brazilian diagonal federal highway that begins in the city of São Mateus, EspÃÂrito Santo, at the junction with BR-101, reaching the city of São Paulo, at the junction with BR-116 (Rodovia Presidente Dutra). It has a total of 1185.2 kilometerss, of which 93.6 are in São Paulo, 943.9 in Minas Gerais and 147.7 in EspÃÂrito Santo. The stretch between Belo Horizonte and São Paulo is called Rodovia Fernão Dias.
The stretch that connects the states of Minas Gerais and EspÃÂrito Santo is also considered one of the most dangerous road stretches in Brazil, due to its extremely winding route, causing accidents on a daily basis.
In the state of EspÃÂrito Santo, the concession for the highway was given to the state government, and in that state it was called ES-381. Still in EspÃÂrito Santo, the 64-kilometer stretch between the cities of São Mateus and Nova Venécia is named Miguel Curry Carneiro and corresponds to the old bed of an extinct local railway, the Estrada de Ferro São Mateus.
In 2002, after 8 years of works, the duplication of the 562 km of the stretch known as Rodovia Fernão Dias, between Belo Horizonte and São Paulo was completed. In 2022, a project was created to grant part of BR-381 to the private sector, with the intention of doubling 215 km between Belo Horizonte, Ipatinga and Novo Oriente de Minas.