| Work Detail |
In a key move within the privatization process of state-owned companies, the national government intervened in Corredores Viales SA , the operator of the national toll road network. This measure, initially temporary until the end of June, seeks to reorganize its structure and advance a dissolution plan that will allow for a future private concession. The intervention is part of the Basic Law and could become a model for other state-owned companies undergoing a similar process. The company manages important corridors of the national road network, several of which show visible signs of deterioration. According to a report from the National Highway Administration, serious maintenance deficiencies were detected, such as potholes, road surface deformations, broken concrete slabs, and failure to replace guardrails and railings. The Highway Administration had repeatedly threatened Corredores Viales to carry out basic maintenance works without receiving a response, which led to the urgent intervention. The companys management, which was previously under José Luis Acevedo, will now be transferred to Anastasia Adem, former manager of the Mint, with the aim of auditing its financial, administrative, and operational situation. Although the firm maintained balanced accounts and a positive operating balance, the lack of response to technical requirements and the paralysis of tendered projects raised alarm bells at the Ministry of Transportation. Added to this is the imminent expiration of the contract with Caminos del Río Uruguay (CRUSA), the concessionaire for the Mesopotamian corridor and the Rosario-Victoria bridge. The concession will not be renewed and will be transferred to temporary state management under the control of the National Highway Administration. During this period, the toll booths will be erected, with the expectation of re-bidding the operation by September under new conditions. As part of the road system reform process, the government is considering merging the National Roads Authority with other departments such as the Road Safety Agency and Road Corridors, under a new institutional structure currently being defined by decree. The reorganization seeks to do away with the old system of road concessions held by contractors who also operated the roads, in favor of a model that separates construction, operation, and financing. The intervention of Corredores Viales not only reveals a structural crisis in the maintenance of national routes, but also exposes a power struggle over who will control the cash purse of public road works. Meanwhile, the infrastructure deteriorates, and the challenge for the government will be to demonstrate that the new scheme will improve traffic conditions with efficiency and transparency. |
