Hwy. plan calls for US$16.5bn through 2013

Argentina's federal highway council (CVF) has submitted a highway works master plan to the government that calls for spending 49.1bn pesos (US$16.5bn) through 2013, according to information available on the country's highways department website. Representatives from the department and its 23 provincial counterparts make up the CVF, which is divided into five geographical regions: Noroeste, Noreste, Nuevo Cuyo, Centro and Patagonia. The plan, dubbed "Esquema Director Vial Argentino (Ediviar)," entails new works, highway construction, and improvement and conservation works for a total of 113,909km. Of the total, 27.4bn pesos would go to the national trunk network (38,577km), 18.9bn pesos for provincial roads (38,408km) and 2.85bn pesos for earthen roads (36,924km). Ediviar aims to create a national consensus in regard to works that must be carried out, instead of having each province going its own way, for example.