The contracts are for patching work, supervision, resurfacing of roads and main pathways, and bridge maintenance, among other things, on the national road network.
The Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing (CIV) is inviting bids for 430 road maintenance projects, through the Road Maintenance Fund, in which about $100 million will be invested.
The Government has announced that will negotiate international loans for $920 million for road construction.
The Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing (CIV) said it would be looking to obtain credit with international banks in order to expand three stretches of highway which go towards border crossings. Alejandro Sinibaldi, head of the CIV, confirmed that the three loans could materialize next year.
Companies interested in the tender to build the bypass of Chimaltenango now have until December 20 to submit their proposals.
This is the fourth time that the date for submission of proposals has been to postponed in the tender for the construction of an "alternate route to go through the south of in order to avoid the bottleneck that is generated in the sector", reported Prensalibre.com. The road is estimated to cost approximately $32 million.
The feasibility studies for a highway linking the eight municipalities of the department of Guatemala were announced for 2014.
S21.com reports that the Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing (CIV) will carry out in 2014 a feasibility study for the construction of the Metropolitan Ring Road project, a study which "will cost approximately $5 million."
The Brazilian Development Bank has loaned $40 million to be used for the expansion of the Cocales-Tecum Uman highway to four lanes.
According to Alejandro Sinibaldi, Guatemalan Minister of Communications, this money is in addition to $40 million which the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE) has already granted to the ministry.
"This year we hope to run about $100 million to advance the construction of the road in several phases," said Sinibaldi.
The expansion of the Atlantic Road will be funded with a donation of $50 million and other $50 million in loans.
The Taiwanese government will donate $50 million for the expansion of the Atlantic Highway, and has also authorized a soft loan for another $50 million for the project which has a cost of $119 million.
Lending by the Asian nation is at a rate of 1% interest, with a five-year grace period and payable over 20 years.
Resonant rubblization is the process of fracturing existing PCC pavement, in place, ready for a direct asphalt overlay.
Resonant rubblization was the method of choice on one of the busiest and most heavily traveled roads in Panama City, Panama, Avenida Domingo Diaz. Including multiple projects with various contractors throughout Central America that past 5 years, rubblization of Avenida Domingo Diaz was successfully performed in 2012 with the consortium ICA-MECO. Rubblization, with a hot mix asphalt overlay, is proven to have an initial design life of 22+ years, while being 65% less expensive and 5 times faster compared to total reconstruction.
The Atlantic Highway will be expanded from mile 57 to 80, with partial funding from the Taiwanese government.
From a press release issued by the Government of Panama:
The Government of Guatemala in June signed an agreement with the Republic of China-Taiwan to complete the works for expanding and improving the Atlantic Highway from kilometer 57 to El Rancho, kilometer 80, during a working visit made by the president Otto Perez Molina to that nation.
In early April a tender will be launched for a bypass on the route from El Tejar to Chimaltenango, with an approximate cost of $26 million.
Alejandro Sinibaldi, Minister of Communications, said that about six months ago the engineering and technical studies were started in order to determine the best location for the construction of the work.
"The bypass is expected to be about 15 miles long, at a cost over $26 million," said Sinibaldi.
The company TOPSA has pointed to the non payment of $4.7 million by the government as the reason for the suspension of works on extending the route between San Martin Jilotepeque in Chimaltenango, and Joyabaj in Quiché.
The suspension order received by TOPSA came from the company Consultora y Constructora Bea, S.A. which was hired to oversee the project for the Road Maintenance Unit (Covial) of the Ministry of Communications.
On December 21 Conservación Vial (Road Maintenance) published 65 tenders for the maintenance of 2,310 kilometers of unpaved roads and 75 for patching repair works to 3,880 kilometers.
The works comprise the entire national territory and according to the director of Road Maintenance (Covial), Stuart Gonzalez, awards are scheduled for next week.
Prensalibre.com reports that, "The haste in publishing the tenders, Gonzalez said, is because the maintenance plan and patching will start on January 15 in order to get the roads in good condition before winter.
While the bidding for the pre-feasibility study for the highway concession between Escuintla and Puerto Quetzal is underway, the government is considering other routes to put under private management.
The head of the Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing, Alejandro Sinibaldi, said the study is part of a pilot plan, that if successful, would be applied to other routes in the country.
Authorities have put out to tender a pre-feasibility study to modernize the highway between Escuintla and Puerto Quetzal, by giving it to a private concessionaire.
Prensalibre.com reports that “should the project become reality, the Escuintla-Masagua-San José Port road will be toll-free, while the current route, known as CA-9 Sur A, which runs 46 km, will be turn into a toll road.
Guatemala's Congress has approved a loan of $119 million from the CABEI and another from BNDES of Brazil for $280 million, for the expansion to four lanes of the highway to the Pacific.
The Ministry of Communications will be the executor of the road project to be financed with the two loans.
The expansion to four lanes will be on the route from Cocales, Suchitepéquez, to Tecun Uman, San Marcos.
Guatemala's President Otto Perez has announced the construction of a 120 km road linking Ixcán with Quiché.
An article in Siglo21.com reports that "The president announced that the recently approved loan by the Legislature, which amounts to $160 million, will be used to build a road from the Ixcán Township to connect with Quiche."
"The loan has already been approved, work will start on drawing up the agreement between the Ministries of Finance and Communications, in order to put out a tender to select the companies that will do the construction", said the president.