CAF to provide USD132 million for Epizana-Comapara highway and El Torno-Espejos bridge

(Bogota, March 18, 2014).CAF - development bank of Latin America - approved a loan of USD132.2 million to the Plurinational State of Bolivia for the construction of the Epizana-Comarapa highway section, located on the old Santa Cruz-Cochabamba road; and the El Torno-Espejos vehicle bridge, which will unite the two Santa Cruz municipalities. 

CAF Executive President Enrique Garcia stressed the economic and social impact of these projects for Bolivia's development, saying, "these initiatives represent a significant added value for integration, trade and the provision of basic services such as health and education, which will contribute to improving the living conditions of the population." 

Currently, the financial institution is also supporting the construction of the two lanes on the principal route, the Yapacaní- Puente Ichilo highway and the "Y" Integration highway. 

CAF has financed more than 4,500 kilometers of roads in Bolivia, allowing for the integration of regions and communities, as well as the borders of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Peru. 

Epizanza-Comarapa - 130 kilometers long - connects the departments of Cochabamba and Santa Cruz and forms part of the Bioceanic East-West corridor, which connects Bolivia with Brazil, Chile and Peru. Its construction is fundamental, as it belongs to a high-traffic highway which in addition, constitutes an alternative route to the most important highway in the country, located between the two departments with the greatest productive development in Bolivia, and through which 44 percent of the traffic passes and ravels over the Fundamental Road Network. 

The El Torno-Espejos vehicle bridge will have a length of 230 meters and will be constructed over the Pirai River. It is estimated that it will benefit, directly or indirectly, the entire population of the El Torno, a municipality of the department of Santa Cruz of approximately 50,000 inhabitants, by facilitating and guaranteeing the constant crossing of vehicular traffic and favoring the transportation of the agricultural products - principally citric fruits and mushrooms- towards the centers of consumption and processing of raw materials. 

The total cost of both projects is USD190 million, of which USD58 million (30.5 percent) corresponds to contributions from the Plurinational State of Bolivia and USD132.2 million (69.5 percent) from the CAF loan.