Cuba to resume construction of national highway

By Steve Skinner30 July 2008

Following an interruption of nearly two decades, Cuba is set to resume construction of the 600 km pan island national highway. Plans to complete a 60 km three lane section between the central provinces of Villa Clara and Sancti Spiritus have been submitted, with a completion date set for 2009 according to the Cuban news agency.

Ernesto Capdet Wert, director of Villa Clara’s highway administration centre said that “authorities are evaluating the state of the unfinished road located between the 260 km and 320 km points of the highway.”

Construction of the national highway was halted in the late 1980s due to the severe economic crises of the time, brought about by a strengthening of the US economic, commercial and financial blockade of the country.

Cuban minister of construction Fidel Figueroa said of the resumption, “To build 1 km of highway will cost CUP 1 million (US$ 38000), although with the skyrocketing price of oil this figure could increase.”

Construction plans also include adding a lane to the highway that runs between Guantanamo and Santiago de Cuba and extending the 8 lane highway that runs between Taguasco (Sancti Spiritus) and Ciego de Avila.
Latest News
Vinci to build and operate 106 EV charging stations across Germany
French construction giant Vinci has won a deal to acquire land and then build and operate 106 charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) across Germany.
UK selects six designs for construction of small modular nuclear reactors
The UK government has selected six companies to advance to the next phase of a competition to design and build small modular reactors (SMRs) to generate nuclear power.
Forecast 2024: Heavy truck, alternative fuels
Power Systems Research: Despite forecasted Class 8 decline, hydrogen-powered development continues