Paraguay’s plan for Ruta 9 road refurb

The authorities in Paraguay are devising plans to upgrade a 500km stretch of the important Rute 9 highway. The plans are being drawn up by the Paraguay Road Chamber (Cavialpa) and will be presented to the country’s Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC). Should the plans then be accepted, this will allow the improvement works for Ruta 9, also known as Transchaco, to go ahead. The entire upgrade project is expected to cost in the region of US$450 million and should take around three years to complete. The improvement works for a 182km stretch of the route are considered a priority due to the current poor condition of the roadway. The project was put out to tender previously and Portuguese contractor Moto Engil put in a bid for the work of $596 million but this was rejected as the MOPC decided it was considerably higher than its own estimates.