Skip to main content

Guatemala highway upgrade and widening project

Guatemala is opening the tender process to improve and widen the CA-2 Occidente highway connection between Cocales and Tecun Uman. The Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing (CIV) is handling the tender for the project. Cocales is located in Guatemala’s Suchitepequez region, while Tecun Uman is in San Marcos. The highway capacity upgrade has an estimated cost of US$397.2 million to carry out. However, the project has been the subject of some controversy as the Brazilian contractor Odebrec
December 15, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Guatemala is opening the tender process to improve and widen the CA-2 Occidente highway connection between Cocales and Tecun Uman. The Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing (CIV) is handling the tender for the project. Cocales is located in Guatemala’s Suchitepequez region, while Tecun Uman is in San Marcos.

The highway capacity upgrade has an estimated cost of US$397.2 million to carry out. However, the project has been the subject of some controversy as the Brazilian contractor 1305 Odebrecht was originally handling the work. However the Guatemalan Atttorney General’s office (PGN) ruled that this contract be suspended. Odebrecht was paid 70% of the project’s estimated cost for the work but the legal dispute hinged on the lack of sufficient progress with the construction.

This is not the only highway project in Guatemala subject to legal issues however as a further dispute concerns the work to upgrade and widen the Escuintla-Ciudad Pedro de Alvarado road to dual carriageway status. The project has been handled by contractor Sigma Constructores but CIV has revealed it is also intent on cancelling this deal, signifying that the Guatemalan authorities are increasingly keen to ensure highway projects are handled efficiently and to the required schedule.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Bolivia dual carriageway project stalled
    September 12, 2016
    Work remains at a halt on the 70km dual carriageway upgrade connecting Yapacani with Montero in Bolivia’s Santa Cruz department. A disagreement between the Mexican construction company that was building the link, Tradeco, and Bolivia’s road administration department, ABC, resulted in the contract being cancelled. The route, Highway 4, runs from Yapacani through Santa Fe, San Carlo and Portachuelo to Montero and the project was intended to improve the road and boost its capacity by increasing the number of l
  • Guatemala road development plan announced
    December 19, 2016
    Guatemala is pushing ahead with a plan to develop its road network. The expansion programme will see over US$225 million being spent on improving the country’s road connections during 2017. The work calls for the construction of 1,600km of roads, which will help improve access to many rural areas. Tolled highways will also be completed in Barberena and Chimaltenango. Funding will come partly from the general road authority, Direccion General de Caminos (DCG) and from the cooperation fund Fondo de Solidarida
  • Costa Rica road projects moving forward - slowly
    July 18, 2017
    Costa Rica is moving ahead with a series of major road projects, but progress is proving slower than anticipated or desired. The Costa Rica Government is struggling to achieve satisfactory progress with its overall road improvement programme. So far the key focus has been on maintaining existing links rather than building and improving road connections. The country’s National Laboratory for Structural Material and Models (Lanamme) has produced a report revealing that 85% of the national roads are in accepta
  • Guatemala highway contract awarded
    March 29, 2018
    SBI International Holdings will carry out US$93 million of road construction works in Guatemala. The works will be for the upgrading of four sections of road in Alta Verapaz and Quiche that measure just over 144km. The deal was awarded by Guatemala’s Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing (CIV). SBI International Holdings is a subsidiary of Israeli firm Solel Boneh International. A $100 million loan from Japan's International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has provided the necessary financing for