The National Road 19 in the province of Santa Fe has been opened for traffic. The works were supported by the World Bank and will not only benefit rural producers but also it will improve road safety.
The road corridor links the province of Santa Fe with the province of Cordoba and it is used daily by 4,000 vehicles, mostly trucks. “This is a strategic road in the Bi-oceanic Corridor as it links Santa Fe with Chile and Brazil, and also it is crucial for the ports of the Paraná River”, says Gonzalo Saglione, undersecretary of Investment Projects and External Financing of Santa Fe.
With the last completion of the works, the road totals 115 kilometers, considering the 70 kilometers from Josefina city to National Road 34 that had been opened on May. The rest of the works, between Josefina city and San Francisco city, and at Santo Tomé, are expected to be opened next year.
The works began on May 2008 and were financed by a US$183 million loan from the World Bank and resources from Santa Fe. In particular, the road was upgraded to two lanes and was supplemented by bridges and traffic distributors at the main intersections along the route.
These improvements will reduce logistics costs, facilitate access to major regional consumption and export markets and foster the effective economic integration of the Center Region provinces.
“Time will demonstrate the functionality of the work and how it improves the transport of goods and personal transit", concludes Saglione.
