Argentina

The overall purpose of the Second Adaptable Program Loan (APL) for National Highway Asset Management Project for Argentina is to further develop and implement an efficient... Show More + road network management strategy, bringing about the necessary resources to preserve the national road network in the long term. The reallocation is necessary because some bidding processes (purchase of VC and Weigh-in-Motion WIM equipment) could not take place because of current conditions and restrictions in the country regarding imported equipment. All funds allocated to goods are therefore reallocated towards the Performance-based Rehabilitation and Maintenance Contracts (CREMA) component under category 1 (b). Another reallocation is the one related to consultants' services. At project design it was envisaged to hire consultants to design bridges, but during project implementation it was decided that studies will be carried out in-house. Proceeds were also reallocated towards category 1(b). Finally, the pilot corridor for road safety was delayed (mainly because of delays in reaching the final design), it will be bid with local funds. Proceeds were reallocated towards category 1(b). As a result, the allocation to CREMAs (category 1 (b)) increased from US$251.25 to US$281.5 million (12 percent increase). Show Less -

The development objective of the Second Phase of the Adaptable Program Loan (APL2) for the Buenos Aires Infrastructure Sustainable Investment Development Project for... Show More + Argentina is to improve the social and environmental welfare of approximately five million people living in the borrower's territory through the improved provision of transport, water supply and sanitation, and drainage services. The restructuring, jointly with the restructuring in parallel for the APL one (and Additional Financing), will update the program funding structure and its activities to the current context, thus providing the grounds for an adequate and timely program implementation, aiming at full achievement of the project development objectives of both APLs (first and second). The changes described in this project paper includes: 1) reducing the scope of the civil work components to reflect cost increases; 2) revising the target values of project indicators to account for the revised project scope; and 3) reallocating project costs among components and loan proceeds among categories accordingly. Show Less -

The Argentina Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Sustainable and Transport and Air Quality (STAQ) Project follows the higher level objectives of the Regional Program,... Show More + and have a common focus in assisting participant cities in: (i) towards reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions by increasing use of less energy intensive transport modes in cities; and (ii) inducing policy changes in favor of sustainable transport projects. The level two restructuring of the Project seeks: (i) a one-year extension of the closing date in order to match the implementation window of partner projects - regional GEF STAQ, Brazil GEF STAQ, and Mexico GEF STAQ as well as to complete certain activities under the project; and (ii) an adjustment to the project's results framework. Both changes will have no impact in the project's development objectives, activities and implementation arrangements. The Argentina STAQ project (US$3.987 million) was prepared based on local governments' submissions in 2005. Because of a two-year effectiveness delay, the original assumptions regarding the timing of GEF-financed and of co-financed activities proved unrealistic. In addition, the time required for project impacts to materialize is also longer than originally anticipated because such impacts depend in part on complementary investments that will be completed only several years after the Grant is closed. Consequently, planned outcomes have to be changed. Show Less -

The objectives of the Second Adaptable Program Loan (APL) for the National Highway Asset Management Project for Argentina are: (a) to further preserve the Non-Concessioned... Show More + National Road Network, through the expansion of Performance-based Rehabilitation and Maintenance Contracts (CREMA) contracts for said network; and (b) to further strengthen National Highway Directorate (DNV's) road sector management capacity. The restructuring will trigger the following six safeguards policies: natural habitats, forests, pest management, physical cultural resources, indigenous peoples, and involuntary resettlement. Additionally, by approval of the Country Director, the restructuring: (i) supports a minor reallocation of the loan proceeds; and (ii) extends by 18 months the closing date of the project, from December 31, 2011 to June 30, 2013, to allow for completion of planned project activities. Show Less -

The objective of the Second Phase of the Buenos Aires Infrastructure Sustainable Investment Development Project for Argentina is to improve the social and environmental... Show More + welfare of approximately five million people through an improved provision of transport, water supply and sanitation (WSS), and drainage services. The following changes have been made: (i) revising the scope of selected project activities to adapt them to the current financial situation; (ii) revising the outcome indicators to better account for the revised project scope and to facilitate monitoring of progress towards achieving the project development objectives; and (iii) extending the project's closing date by 18 months to August 15, 2013 to allow for the completion of all ongoing works. Show Less -

The overall purpose of the Province of Santa Fe Road Infrastructure Project for Argentina is to improve transport conditions along a strategic road corridor that links... Show More + the Province of Santa Fe with regional and international markets. The reallocation is necessary to be able to use the funds currently in the 'unallocated' category set forth in the loan agreement. This reallocation will not change the percentage of financing. The main component of this project, the upgrading of National Road 19, will receive the full amount of the unallocated funds. The construction works along National Road 19 are progressing according to the work plan set forth at the time of the bidding and no cost overruns have been observed. The total costs of the upgrading works will reach US$175 million and consequently the reallocation will allow to approximate the percentage of financing (the Province of Santa Fe will provide additional resources if necessary as counterpart funds). The upgraded Road 19, with the exception of 2km in the City of Santo Tome will be completed in June 2011, with the remaining works expected to be completed by February, 2012. Closing date of this Project is June 30, 2012. Show Less -

Ratings for the National Highway Asset Management Project for Argentina were as follows: outcomes were satisfactory, the risk to development outcome was moderate, the... Show More + Bank performance was satisfactory, and the Borrower performance was also satisfactory. Some lessons learned included: factoring in project design the effects of an economic crisis. Need to recognize the complexity of certain participatory procedures involved in the implementation of any reform process aimed at transforming the modus operandi of a long established agency, and using adequate instruments to better accommodate the evolving institutional agenda. The need to ensure that preliminary designs for Rehabilitation and Maintenance Contract (CREMA) projects have balanced rehabilitation and maintenance standards commensurate to surface and traffic characteristics of the network, avoiding unnecessarily conservative solutions that could deviate from the optimum strategy and jeopardize the cost-efficiency of the system. Usefulness of independent technical audits as a valuable tool for the monitoring of contractors and supervision of performance during the execution of CREMA program. Show Less -