Buenos Aires province unveils US$300mn roadworks plan

Buenos Aires province plans to invest US$332mn during the current administration’s four-year term to improve and expand the road network operated by government-owned concessionaire Aubasa.

The decision is seen as another show of the province’s attempts to buck the Argentine federal government trend to cut back on infrastructure investments and privatize operators.

“Far from the [federal government] narrative, which says that all state companies are bad, deficient or harmful, here we have a clear example of a company that is owned by Buenos Aires province that has surpluses and generates funds of its own to carry out a public works plan,” the province’s minister of government affairs, Carlos Bianco, said during a press conference. The provincial governor is Axel Kicillof, a Peronist opponent of Argentina's right-wing libertarian President Javier Milei.

The plan, which involves 25 projects, some of which are already being carried out, targets 778km, equivalent to 86% of Aubasa’s network.

Some of the projects are:

Buenos Aires-La Plata highway, La Plata-Hudson stretch (US$9.9mn, 13.9km). Currently being tendered. Documents can be seen here
Buenos Aires-La Plata highway, Hudson-La Plata (US$16mn, 22.1km). Also being auctioned
Buenos Aires-La Plata highway widening. Hudson-Buenos Aires southwest access (US$36mn, 36.6km). Yet to be tendered. Works are expected to start next year.
Autovía 2 Dolores-Mar del Plata (US$113mn, 200.4km). Divided into two stretches. Both have a length of 100km and require an estimated US$56.8mn each.