Bolivia boosts road building budget

An investment of nearly US$510 million is being planned in Bolivia for road building works. The country’s state-run road company, 3542 Administradora Boliviana de Carreteras (ABC), has plans in hand for a total of 32 road maintenance and construction projects in Santa Cruz department. In all these will stretch for some 5,773km. Of this, $291 million will be spent on 276km of new roads, including the Saavedra-Chane and Circunvalacion Mineros, Hardeman-Colonia Pairi and Rio Uruguaito-Santa Rosa de la Roca-San Ignacio de Velasco routes. They also include the Montero-Puente Yapacani two lane highway as well as the Banegas and Rio Grande bridges. Around $47 million will be targeted at 207km of road building between Cotoca and Paraiso, Puente Limones and Yotau, Santa Cruz and Warnes and Puerto Busch and Mutun. Road maintenance will benefit from $19.3 million, with the work being carried out along 4,168km of existing links. In addition road schemes requiring investments of $149 million are being put out to tender.