The route will measure 50km in all and will be tolled, with the project now looking set to be carried out under a concession model. The project is not allowed to use direct funding from the Ecuador Government, which is why the concession model is being suggested instead by the city authorities. Ecuador's Ministry of Transport and Public Works (MTOP) will carry out a feasibility study into the project to determine whether the concession model will be viable and will be likely to attract the necessary private funding.
The project will be comparatively complex due to the large number of rivers it will have to cross, a major factor in increasing the cost of the work. In all the ring road will feature 11 bridges, with crossings over the Bibin, Culebrillas, Cuenca, Machangara, San Agustin, Sidcay, Tutupali, Tomebamba and Yanuncay rivers. The new ring road will also feature modern safety systems such as LED lighting, emergency boxes at regular intervals along the route and radar speed detection technology.
Work on a major road project in Ecuador now looks set to restart now that a financing package for the work has been determined. The Circunvalacion Norte ring road in the city of Cuenca is expected to cost US$520 million, with the plans calling for three lanes in either direction along a 6km section between Guangarucho and the Panamericana Norte motorway.
