El Salvador opens improved section of La Libertad highway

El Salvador's vice president, Oscar Ortiz, has opened an 8.7km section of highway that has been widened from two to four lanes.

This stretch of highway forms part of section II of the project extension road to La Libertad port, which is the responsibility of the national public works ministry.

Section II of the project, which is 10.9km long, was divided into two segments, one 5.4km long and the other 5.5km. Both segments are being paved with hydraulic concrete.

The stretch that was opened runs from the km 22.36 mark of the highway to km 31.86, where the La Libertad bypass is currently being built. It comprises sections of the two aforementioned segments.

Some 21,000 vehicles that use the road every day will benefit from the project, Ortiz said at the opening event.

The works form part of a larger project to widen the highway between capital San Salvador and La Libertad port.

Section III, another stretch that will be widened under the project, was divided into three segments and is still in the early stages of construction.

The investment required to complete the two segments of section II amounts to US$40.5mn. Meanwhile, the total investment for construction and supervision works on both section II and section III amounts to US$102mn.

The funds for the project come from a US$145mn financing agreement that Salvadoran authorities inked with the government of Mexico back in 2015 to carry out a strategic road infrastructure program in the departments of Ahuachapán, Santa Ana and La Libertad.

The financing is being made available by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (Cabei) from its Yucatán fund, and includes a US$66mn donation from the Mexican government.

Pictured: A view of the opened highway stretch. CREDIT: Oscar Ortiz's Twitter account.