Finance & Funding

Mexico’s massive infrastructure programme is broadly on track for completion. The country’s Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT) has confirmed that 80% of the projects included in the national infrastructure plan (PNI) between 2014 and 2018 are already under development. There are 52 major road infrastructure projects within the PNI. Of these, 17 of the new highways have been completed. A total of 17,000km of new roads have been built in Mexico since 2012. The PNI programme also includes improv

Washington State in the US is considering plans to develop infrastructure in the city of Spokane. The spending however hinges on whether the state will opt to increase local fuel taxes, which could raise the funds necessary. If the increased taxes are voted for, the extra funds could pay for transit and road projects worth over US$1 billion in the Spokane area. Around $879 million would be used for the completion of the North Spokane Corridor. Between Spangle and Colfax, while there would be upgrades to US

Malaysia’s West Coast Expressway company has reported that it will inject nearly US$425 million into its West Coast Expressway project. Total cost of the West Coast Expressway, which will stretch 233km between Banting in Selangor state and Taiping in Perak state on the Malaysian peninsula, is expected to be around $1.56 billion. The highway will be built over five years as a build-operate-transfer project with a concession of 50 years, The Star newspaper reported in February 2014.

Estructura Plural SAC 4G has been awarded the motorway concession Autopista Mar 1 in Colombia. The 176km road between Fernando Gomez Martinez Tunnel will run across San Jeronimo and Santafe, reaching Canasgordas. The project will cost US$565.12 million and have 41 bridges and 17 tunnels. The existing road will be improved and a second lane added between Medellin and Santa Fe. Meanwhile, Colombian construction firm Construcciones El Condor and the national infrastructure agency ANI have signed a pu

Bangladesh has formally signed a US$705 million deal with China Communication Construction to build a multi-lane road tunnel underneath the Karnaphuli River in Chittagong. Road Transport and Bridges secretary Man Siddique along with the government’s Road Transport and Bridges minister Obaidul Quader signed the contract with Liu Qitao, chairman of China Communication Construction. The signing took place in Beijing, according to a report in the Bangladesh newspaper The Independent.

Malaysian prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the toll-free Pan Borneo highway should trigger economic growth in Sarawak state which has been held back by the lack of a good road network. Razak was speaking at the signing of a memorandum of understanding between federal government officials, officials from the state of Sarawak and infrastructure company Lebuhraya Borneo Utara Sdn. The event took place in the federal administrative capital Putrajaya, around 25km from the capital city Kuala L

Plans are in hand in Bolivia for 10 road projects. The state-owned road operator ABC has started the projects, which involve investments of more than US$588 million and extend for over 493km. China Harzone Industry Corporation is handling the $66.1 million project to develop the 38.06km Final Avenida Petrolera-Paracaya scheme in Cochabamba. Sinopec International signed the deal for the 58.8 km Puente Yapacani-Puente Ichilo project. Other projects include the 59km Lluchu-Ravelo road (linked to Santa Fe), whi

The World Bank Group is providing funding worth US$500 million for the development of a key transport corridor in the north-west of the country. This comes under the East Africa Regional Transport, Trade & Development Facilitation Project. The general aim of the project to build the corridor is to provide economic and social development for communities in the counties of West Pokot and Turkana. The government of Kenya will contribute the remainder needed for the $676 million project.

Chinese banks are providing US$297 million in loans for road construction in the Kyrgyz Republic. The loan will be used to carry out Phase II of the programme to construct the new North-South road. The project is for the construction of the 96km Aral-Kazarman road and also includes building a 700m stretch of tunnel along the route as part of the works.