SCT to Invest Up to MX$50 billion in Road Infrastructure

The Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Jorge Nuño Lara introduced, in a press conference, a multi-year program for federal highways and rural roads, to be concluded in 2023. The plan includes new projects to link key areas and ensure social and economic development, which could represent an investment over MX$50 billion (US$2.52 billion).

The "Strategy for the Roads for Wellbeing 2021-2023" program includes 26 road works and an investment of almost MX$38 billion (US$1.91 billion). The plan involves 15 priority works for the construction and modernization of 638.3 km of federal highways, for an investment of MX$33.14 billion (US$1.67 billion), and 11 rural and feeder roads comprising 237.4 km for an investment of MX$4.8 million (US$241,800). However, these investments could eventually increase to surpass MX$50 billion (US$2.52 billion), added Nuño Lara.

In a session organized by the College of Engineers of Mexico, Nuño Lara highlighted that the objective of this program is to provide the regions of Sierra and Huasteca in Hidalgo, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas and Veracruz, with efficient road communications to ensure that marginalized populations are able to access social and economic development. The plan will also include new projects, such as a road to link the Dos Bocas refinery to the Roberto Ayala station in Tabasco, and an interstate corridor to facilitate the movement of goods and services. New works include highways in Veracruz and rural roads and an axis of Federal Highway 180, which goes from Veracruz to Tuxpan-Tampico.

Through this three-year plan, Nuño Lara aims to ensure sufficient financing for the completion of all the projects. This scheme is expected to reduce construction costs by approximately 10 percent through a single public bidding process. In addition, it reduces construction times, simplifies administrative procedures and generates savings of approximately 3 percent in inflationary impacts.

The federal highway modernization projects were selected because they pass through regions of high marginality and will allow connection and effective mobility, explained Nuño Lara. The priority locations include works in multiple regions of the country, including: Ciudad Valles (San Luis Potosi) -Tampico (Tamaulipas), Oaxaca-Puerto Escondido-Huatulco (Oaxaca), Acapulco (Guerrero)-Huatulco (Oaxaca) and Palenque-San Cristobal de las Casas (Chiapas).

While some of these projects will start operations by the end of 2023, others are currently being implemented.