Outgoing govt invested US$11.7bn in infrastructure, driving innovation in Uruguay’s construction sector

Uruguay’s outgoing government has invested US$11.7bn in infrastructure since 2020, which has accelerated innovation in the local construction sector, claimed transport and public works minister José Luis Falero.

“We didn’t stick to traditional methodologies. Everything related to innovation and new equipment has allowed us to move forward and believe it's also possible to innovate in Uruguay, not only to allow us to complete projects faster but also to make us feel proud of our achievements,” Falero said during the opening of a construction innovation conference hosted by the national construction chamber CCU.

Falero cited the addition of 10 new asphalt mixing plants over the last five years, as well as three concrete plants capable of installing reinforced concrete rapidly.

“This progress is due to a political decision, but also to the commitment of the private sector,” Falero added.

In terms of specific processes, the minister highlighted the use of the Building Information Modeling (BIM) system during the construction of Del Cerro hospital (US$16mn) in western Montevideo, and noted that this model is being integrated into other projects.

“Standardizing construction processes in certain areas should become a natural step for us in the near future. We can’t keep starting projects from scratch when we already have clear and successful examples that can be replicated,” Falero stated.

Other efforts by the transport and public works ministry (MTOP) include a risk assessment of the country’s entire road network using software provided by the non-profit International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), which began collecting data in August.

Falero's ministry also completed the automation of all the country’s toll road stations earlier this year, following a two-year effort.

CAMPAIGN

The current government will hand over to the incoming administration on March 1 after the October 27 general election.

Polls show former Canelones mayor Yamandú Orsi, who represents the left-wing Frente Amplio (broad front) opposition coalition, as the favorite, although he remains below the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff on November 24.

His most likely opponent in that runoff is thought to be former secretary of the presidency Álvaro Delgado, who represents the ruling center-right National Party.

Regardless of the winner, it is expected that the next president will not make any radical changes to the economy.