Argentina has awarded five consortiums public-private partnership (PPP) contracts to build or upgrade around 7,300km of roads.
A minister said the plan, involving investment of close to $17bn, would eliminate "death routes".
The four-year programme, instigated by President Mauricio Macri, attracted bids from 19 Argentinian and seven international companies. Altogether, 10 teams made 32 bids for six packages of work.
The winners were:
- Corridor A: An Argentine team made up of Paolini, Vial Agro and INC.
- Corridor B: China Construction America and Green of Argentina.
- Corridor C: Argentine contractor Jose Cartellone Construcciones Civiles.
- Corridors E and F: Helport, Panedile and Eleprint of Argentina and Obras y Servicios Copasa of Spain.
- El Sur corridor: Rovella Carranza and JCR of Argentina and Mota-Engil of Portugal.
Corridors E and F involve 900km of highways from Buenos Aires to Santa Fe and from Santa Fe to Cordoba. Corridor B, won by China Construction and Green, will be a 610km highway into the capital from La Pampa to the west.
Guillermo Dietrich, the minister of transport, commented: "The bids for PPP proved to be a good tool for carrying out the works that the country needs to continue generating employment and to improve road safety and end the ‘death routes’."
The plan for the Network of Highways and Safe Routes is divided into three stages, with a total investment of more than $12.5bn for the first five years and more than the $4.2bn dollars during the following 10.
Throughout the three stages around 7,300km of national routes will be built or upgraded. Tenders for the second and third stages are scheduled for May and September this year.
Image: About 7,300km of roads will be upgraded or built (Abertis)
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