The Ministry of Public Works is aiming for the state run power company and not a construction company to be the entity that builds a 5 kilometer road tunnel arguing that the advantage is that "we would not have to tender it".
In order to expedite the long timeframes for navigating the tortuous paths to government procurements by tender, the Solis administration intends to proceed under the 'exceptional' criteria set out in the Government Procurement Act, and take advantage of the "tunnellers" at the Instituto Costarricense Electricity (ICE), which will be left idle once construction of the Reventazon hydroelectric dam is completed. The government is considering contracting the state company directly, without declaring a tender in which private construction companies could also put forward offers and be considered for the work. According to the chief of the department, the work consists of building a tunnel connecting Hacienda Vieja de Curridabat with the roundabout of social guarantees in Las Garantías Sociales Zapote (5 kilometers).
Although the Minister of Public Works had demonstrated his confidence that there would not be increased costs in the road project to be built by the Chinese company CHEC, an announcement has now been made that there will be increases and they will be "substantial".
An article in Nacion.com reports that "...Confidence in "Chinese honor" and a personal guarantee that the Asians would not raise the cost of extending Route 32 (to Limon), only lasted two months for Transport Minister Carlos Segnini. "
Following efforts by Costa Rican government officials with the Chinese government, an award to the company Chec for a contract to expand the road to the Caribbean has been confirmed.
All hope was lost for a potential involvement of domestic companies in the project to widening the road to Limon, after confirmation was given by the Minister of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT), Carlos Segnini, that in negotiations with the Chinese government they only managed to change some aspects of the project which had been criticized - among which was the promise of no embargo on Costa Rican assets in the case of litigation -confirming the award of the work to the company CHEC, which was obviously tied to the granting of financing from China.
A US group has offered the Costa Rican government financing for the construction of an international airport on the Caribbean coast with an investment of $700 million.
The firm Mel Group has submitted a proposal to finance construction of a new international airport, which includes a 4 kilometer long runway and a 30 thousand square meter building. The investment for this project, which will be located in Limon, is about $700 million.
The governments of both countries signed an Open Skies agreement which allows designated airlines to fly between the two countries.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport:
The Minister of Public Works and Transportation, Carlos Segnini and his counterpart from Singapore, Lui Tuck Yew, signed a memorandum of understanding which will allow for, in the short term, a formal open skies agreement between the two countries.
The Environmental Technical Secretariat has approved environmental feasibility studies presented by APM Terminals for the construction of a port terminal dedicated to container ships.
After a long process affected by intense pressures from various sectors, especially trade unions, the environmental impact study was approved by the Environmental Technical Secretariat, giving the green light to the start of construction by the concessionaire APM Terminals. According to company reports, construction could begin in less than a month.
The Minister of Public Works and Transport is asking for an amendment to the existing legislation to allow a common trust to be structured to finance all road infrastructure works.
The minister of transport and public works intends for the bill being studied in the assembly, and which would fund the road from San Ramon to San Jose through the figure of trust, to be extended to all types of road works and not only that road, so that a single financing option would be used for the construction of all roads in the future.
A group of Costa Rican construction companies insists with the proposal made to the previous administration to expand the 107 kilometer of the road to Limon at a cost lower than the Chinese option.
The five builders who suggested their plan to the former officials of the Ministry of Transport and Public Works are once again knocking on the doors of the institution, this time proposing that the current chief, Carlos Segnini, consider the initiative as an alternative to the loan from the government of China, of $465 million.
In Costa Rica changes have been announced in the institution in charge of maintenance of road infrastructure in the country and greater openness in the process of awarding contracts in order to include more companies.
The current Consejo Nacional de Vialidad, Conavi, (National Roads Authority) will become Instituto Nacional de Infraestructura (National Infrastructure Institute), as announced by the new head of the institution, Maurice Salom.
China Harbour Engineering Company has accepted a request by the Solis administration to extend the signing a loan to be used for the extension of the road going from San José to the Caribbean.
It is the fifth time there has been a postponement of the signing of the loan agreement for the extension of 105 kilometers of Route 32, which connects the capital with the Port of Limón, in the Caribbean, but the first in the administration of President Luis Guillermo Solis.