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Ten offers have been submitted in response to a call for tenders for the modernization of more than 3,400km of national roads in Argentina, split into six road corridors and altogether estimated to require US$8 billion investment. This is the first tender concerning a road project structured through a public-private partnership mechanism to have taken place in the country.

The six corridors form the first stage of the Argentinian Ministry of Transport's Network of Highways and Safe Routes PPP Project. The roads designated "highways" will have two 3.65m lanes each way, a 1.8m hard shoulder and a central reservation. Safe routes will have one 3.65m lane each way, a 1.8m hard shoulder and a third 3.65m lane alternating sides.

Altogether, this stage entails the construction of 813km of new highways, 1,494km of safe routes and 17 new connecting roads to different municipalities, plus additional works on 252km of road. The estimated total investment of all of the works contained within the six corridors is US$6 billion within the first five years of the concession, and a further US$2 billion in the six to fifteen years of maintenance works. The roads included in the six corridors are located in the provinces of Buenos Aires, Córdoba, La Pampa, Mendoza and Santa Fe.

Corridor A, which includes the construction of 124km of highway and 498km of safe route, plus the rehabilitation of a 45km section of National Route (RN) 226 and the section of RN 3 from La Flores to Coronel Dorrego, was the most competitive tender. Eight of the offers submitted included bids for the corridor, which has an estimated total investment of US$984 million.

The bids received were as follows:

• A consortium comprised of Helport, Obras y Servicios Copasa and Panadile SaicFel bid for the six corridors
• SACDE, ODS and GWD in consortium bid for corridors E and F
• Techint in consortium with Acciona Concesiones submitted a proposal for corridors A, B and C
• Rovella Carranza, Motta Engil and JCR in consortium bid for corridors B, C and South (Sur)
• Benito Roggio e Hijos submitted a proposal for corridors A, B, C, F and South
• José Cartellone Construcciones Civiles bid to develop corridors A, C and F
• MSU Infraestructura bid for corridors A, B, C and South
• A consortium containing Green and China Construction America bid for corridors A, B, C and F
• CZR Construcciones, Grodco Ingenieros Civiles and Grupo Alberdi in consortium submitted a proposal for corridor A
• A consortium comprised of Vial Agro, Paolini Hnos. and INC bid to develop corridor A

The contract/s will be awarded and signed after 16 May 2018.

This is the first of three stages within the Network of Highways and Safe Routes project. Tenders for the second and third stages are scheduled for May and September this year.