The Minister of Transport and Public Works, Darío Herrera, announced this Thursday that he received approval to sign the necessary agreements to start feasibility studies for four major projects from the Investments and Economy Cabinet.

This sector will see an increase in investment this year that will amount to about 600 million dollars, which will be added to the 400 million dollars that the portfolio currently has for the balance of investments in new works, as announced this afternoon by Pablo Arosemena Marriott, Minister of Economy and Finance, at a press conference to the conference held in front of the house of President Guillermo Lasso, located in Samborondón.

The government presented the 2023 Investment Plan for public works, social investments and security

It is expected that from March 10, contracts for four jobs will be signedwhen President Lasso is finishing his rehabilitation after the fibula fracture surgery he underwent a few days ago.

One of these works would be the Guayaquil-Quito road; its studies will be carried out by the Korea Expressway Corporation, as well as those on the Cuenca-Guayaquil Expressway. Another of these projects will be the Manta-Quevedo highway, for which Grupo Puentes, of Spanish origin, will be in charge. And finally, Montecristi-La Cadena.

Herrera explained that it is very likely that these projects will include the beginning of the study for the southern road crossing, the “fifth bridge”, which would be in charge of a public company from Canada.

These five works could total between $2,000 and $3,000 million, depending on the determination of the pre-feasibility study..

Herrera also indicated that as part of public-private alliances, they hope to award preliminary feasibility studies for six road axes in April:

These six projects would add between 500 and 700 million dollars in additional private investment, and would sign contracts and first stone works in the second quarter of 2024, and the others in 2025.

The minister also indicated that they are implementing economic reconstruction and fiscal and risk support in the current concessions in the country, private and public, ensure that resources are in place and that works are accelerated or built.

He emphasized that by the end of 2025, all these projects will achieve about 35 percent of the national road network in concessions and contracts.