Finance & Funding

Vietnam is planning a series of major works to upgrade transport in the Central Highlands area. The Vietnamese Government has released plans to spend some US$4.95 billion improving transport infrastructure in the Central Highlands. A significant portion will be used for 12 projects to build and upgrade several sections of national highways. Government funding will pay for a portion of this work, with private sources providing the remaining financing, although further details have not yet been released.

A new book by US domestic policy expert James P Pinkerton reveals that investing in transportation infrastructure will build America’s economic strength. In A Vision of American Strength: How Transportation Infrastructure Built the United States, Pinkerton observes that “the history of civilisation is the history of infrastructure.” He explains how societies have flourished as they developed better roads and other transportation systems. Pinkerton details how transport infrastructure fuelled the growth of

The Brazilian Government has identified around 10,000km of new highway concessions. This programme will be achieved through a new road maintenance scheme called Programa Nacional de Manutencao de Rodovias (PNMR). The scheme will seek the replacement of existing road maintenance contracts with PPP or other concession arrangements in five years. Brazil has around 9,900km of privatised roads at the moment. Including blocks part of the PIL scheme, this figure stands at 17,000kms. The main aim of the PNMR plan w

A loan from the World Bank (WB) will help fund repair work to a key road link in Bolivia. The US$225 million loan will be used to improve roads in Bolivia, with the most important project being for the repair and upgrade of the link connecting Trinidad with Santa Cruz. The funds will help pay for improvements to a 567km stretch of this road, which will be resurfaced and improved. The work is expected to cost around $215 million to complete

Work is now underway on a new highway in Mexico’s Baja California State. The Mexican Secretariat of Communications and Transport (SCT) has invested US$148.7 million in building the new Cabo San Lucas-San Jose del Cabo highway. The 38.7km project will include the construction of Caduano Bridge, the renovation and expansion of the Santa Rosa-Puerto Chale road and road surfacing at Todos Santos municipality.

Poland’s road authority GDDKiA has signed 13 road deals and has secured European financing worth a combined total of €1.91 billion. These works are being carried out from 2014-20. The available EU finance in the current perspective allocated to GDDKiA's projects stands at close to €10 billion. Poland’s road investment programme for 2014-23 includes building at least 3,900km of roads and 57km of ring roads.