CUSA cleared to start Divisa-Santiago hwy.

Panama's President Mireya Moscoso and public works minister Eduardo Quiros have authorized construction firm CUSA Rogelio Aleman to begin rehabilitation and expansion works on the Divisa-Santiago stretch of the Pan-American Highway, the ministry reported. The government's development trust fund, Fondo Fiduciario Para el Desarrollo, will finance the US$28.5mn contract. Works on the 36.7km stretch include widening to four lanes, rehabilitating two existing lanes, improving shoulders and drains, and building 12 pedestrian bridges and two vehicle bridges. The stretch is the final portion of a US$143mn project to repair and repave the Pan-American, from Aguadulce to the Canoa border pass, financed by the trust fund and the Inter-American Development Bank.