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This is a new system for the operation and maintenance of highways, through which the private sector will take possession of the national routes under concession in order to reduce the deficit, make spending transparent and balance the accounts.
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The National Government is moving forward with the administrative reorganization of the State with the aim of improving its functioning, reducing structural oversizing and decreasing the fiscal deficit.
In this sense, and within the framework of the implementation of Law 27.742 of Bases and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentines, the transfer of management, operation and maintenance of national routes granted to the private sector will be launched, which is currently mostly in charge of Corredores Viales SA
This state-owned company, created in 2017 to manage the routes previously granted to the private sector, has failed to meet the minimum standards of operation and maintenance, operating at a deficit despite the tariff increases made. That is why, until December 2023, the debts were covered with funds from the National Treasury, distorting the purpose of the toll, which is to autonomously finance the operation and maintenance of the routes.
For this reason, in order to guarantee the sustainability of the road network, the State will call for a national and international public tender open to all actors who meet the required guarantees. This new scheme promotes greater competition since it allows the participation of companies that do not necessarily belong to the road construction sector, generating greater transparency and confidence in the private sector.
Tendering process
It will be carried out in two stages:
First stage: two sections of Corridor 18 will be put out to tender, the concession for which expires on April 9, 2025. This corridor mainly includes national routes 12 and 14, the Rosario-Victoria Bridge, and crosses the provinces of Buenos Aires, Entre Ríos, Santa Fe and Corrientes. The call for tenders for this stage will be launched in December 2024, with the award and takeover planned for April 2025.
Second stage: 5,513 kilometers of routes currently managed by Corredores Viales SA will be put into concession, adding other routes that were not under concession until now, such as RN 33 in Santa Fe, RN 18 in Entre Ríos, and the variant of RN 19 in Córdoba. This stage will be divided into ten sections.
In total, 8,648 kilometers will be put out to tender, distributed in twelve sections that represent 20 percent of the national road network but concentrate 80 percent of traffic. The call for tenders for this second stage will be made in February 2025, with the award scheduled for July 2025.
Savings for the State
With this new scheme, the National Government will achieve projected savings of around 5.6 billion dollars over twenty years. In addition, the concessionaire companies will only be able to charge the toll fee once the entire concessioned route is in safe conditions of transit, thus ensuring that users receive a quality service.
Next steps
In the coming days, preliminary information will be published on the websites of the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Deregulation and State Transformation and the Ministry of Transport so that interested parties can consult the details of the bidding process and participate in the calls for tenders.
Source: https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ |
