The work cost 16.5 million lempiras and was carried out in the form of a Public/Private Alliance (APP – Alianza Público Privada).  The Choloma bridge project has an important impact on the national market by linking the CA-5 North Highway en route to Puerto Cortés, through the highway that services San Pedro Sula.

The Minister of the Presidency apologized that the President was not able to attend this important inauguration, as the repair of the bridge is of vital national interest, particularly to the North, which generates more than 60 percent of the gross domestic product of the country.

“The President wanted to be here, but he must serve at the National Defense and Security Council, and did not want to delay the opening of a work that was constructed so that people would have greater mobility and speed up production,” Guillén expressed.

She added that the culmination of the work shows how the union of efforts, wills, and the definition of priorities based on the needs of a community, become a reality.

The Choloma Bridge was Inaugurated on Monday.

The Presidential Designee recalled that to accomplish the project, there was a debate for several years; resources were sought, but problems arose due to the magnitude of the work and the level of traffic.  The President said that patching or mending would not be acceptable, but that they must do something consistent with the service provided by the bridge.

It was therefore decided to make use of an extraordinary opportunity, to do what they could with following the principles of a Public/Private Alliance.

Under those terms, the bridge could be concluded in a short time, only 60 days, and would be of good quality. “With the APP model, the Government can deliver works to the citizenship, because sometimes we are lacking resources, and the Public/Private Alliance provided a direct benefit to the citizens,” she added.

María Antonieta Guillén spoke at the Choloma bridge inauguration.

Guillén added that under the APP plan, about 100 million dollars will be invested in all of the CA-5 highway, to meet and complete the Government’s efforts.

The Secretary of Public Works, Transport and Housing (SOPTRAVI –  Secretaría de Obras Públicas, Transporte y Vivienda), Adolfo Raquel Quan, emphasized that this is the first of these kind of works that was executed in the form of an APP.

The following people participated in the ceremony:  The Mayor of Choloma, Leopoldo Crivelli; the Congressmen for Cortés, Alberto Chedrani; the Presidential Commissioner for the Valle de Sula Region, Leonel Ayala; the President of the Commission for the Promotion of the Public Private Alliance (COALIANZA), Carlos Pineda, and the Commissioner of that organization, José Antonio Pineda; representatives of the construction company, as well as other municipal authorities.