Congress and the IDB analyze initiative to expand the route from El Rancho to Teculután to four lanes

This is an automated translation of the press release issued in Spanish

The President of the Congress of the Republic, Nery Ramos y Ramos and the First Vice President Darwin Lucas and district deputies from different legislative blocks, met with Ignez Tristao, representative of the Inter-American Development Bank ( IDB ) in Guatemala, to discuss road infrastructure projects in the country, such as the CA-9 Norte highway, a section that connects El Rancho to Teculután.

The meeting was attended by district legislators Juan Ignacio Quijada, from Chiquimula, from the UNE bloc; Ernesto Bran, from El Progreso, from the Valor bloc; Herman Echeverría, from Alta Verapaz, from the Vamos bloc; Leopoldo Salazar, from Alta Verapaz, from the Vamos bloc; Faver Salazar, from Jalapa, from Valor; Jairo Orellana, from Jalapa, from the Cabal bloc; Carolina Orellana, from Zacapa, from the Vamos bloc; Sandra Milian, from Alta Verapaz, from the Victoria bloc; Mynor Castillo, from Jutiapa, from the Vamos bloc; Jaime Lucero, from Jalapa, from the Vamos bloc and Víctor Fuentes, from Alta Verapaz. from the UNE bloc.

These projects are included in initiative 6312, which includes economic agreements with the IDB for the construction of the highway section, which already has a favorable opinion from the Finance and Currency Commission of Congress, pending only signatures for the Plenary to begin to consider.

The favorable opinion seeks to approve a loan for US$175 million to finance the expansion to four lanes of the stretch from El Rancho, El Progreso, to Teculután, Zacapa; with a length of 35 kilometers.

The favorable opinion will be sent to the Legislative Directorate to begin the legislative process in the Plenary Session of Congress.

The IDB representative stressed the importance of these projects for the development of Guatemala, highlighting that the necessary studies have already been carried out and that the investment took into account climate resilience and consultations with the communities.

One of the projects that is moving forward is the CA-9 Norte route, a highway that extends from Guatemala City to the Atlantic, reaching Puerto Barrios and Santo Tomás de Castilla, through which approximately 60% of the country's exportable cargo passes, explained the IDB representative.

Other projects mentioned by the Brazilian representative of the IDB were rural electrification, with projects that will provide more than 40,000 homes with access to electricity, and sustainable forest management.

The President of Congress, Ramos y Ramos, mentioned that the CA-9 Norte project is strategic for the country since it is 33 kilometers long and will be expanded to four lanes, and that infrastructure for the country is essential to generate development.

District deputies emphasized the need to guarantee the quality of the projects and to ensure that supervision is ongoing, in order to have works available to Guatemalans.