More LatAm infra news

Dominican Republic President Hipolito Mejia plans to launch 25 new public works projects in the city of Santiago, including construction of streets, local roads, highways and bridges, the government announced, without giving further details. Large-scale infrastructure projects completed by Mejia's administration include the Santiago-Navarrete and Santiago-San Jose de las Matas highways, plus the recently-opened US$9.5mn Victor Espaillat Mera access road to Cibao airport. *** The transport department of Argentina's production ministry has approved a 720mn-peso (some US$203mn), three-year works plan submitted by capital Buenos Aires' metropolitan area urban rail concessionaires, the ministry announced. The investment will go towards railway improvements (39.6%), rolling stock (27.2%), signaling and telecommunications (16.2%), station and overpass repairs (10.9%), and electrification of tracks (6.1). *** Brazil's national environment council Conama has created a transport technical chamber tasked with defining environmental licensing standards for transport sector works, the transport ministry announced. Conama is a dependent of the environment ministry. *** Brazil's government has published a 60-day measure authorizing the transfer of the management of up to 18,000km of the federal highway network to states and the Federal District (DF), the lower house announced. The transfer is irrevocable and includes a budget allowance of 130,000 reais/km (some US$35,000) that come from proceeds from the Cide fuel tax. States and the DF have 45 days to submit expression of interest. *** El Salvadorian authorities have approved proposals for a highway paving program for the roads connecting the towns of San Rafael Chalatenango and Dulce Nombre de Maria in the country's northern Chalatenango department, El Diario de Hoy reported. Works will be carried out by the municipal governments of both towns. The costs are expected to come to 9mn colones (US$1.03mn), of which 5mn colones will come from the municipalities and the rest from the national social investment fund for local development (FISDL).