A SUBSIDIARY of International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) in Latin America is constructing a 44.2-kilometer road in the said region to further spur growth into its terminal in Ecuador.
Jose Antonio Contreras, the chief executive of port operator Contecon Guayaquil, said the group is building the Guayaquil South Viaduct, a facility that will connect the Guayaquil Port to the south-central areas of the country’s coast and the highlands.
He said the project will establish a more efficient link between the nation’s production centers and the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador’s business capital. The road is expected to encourage investments and boost foreign trade.
“Upon completion, the viaduct will optimize travel time resulting in considerable cost reduction in moving goods and usher more efficient port operations that hopefully leads to a more vibrant economic activity,” Contreras said.
The project is divided into four sections: Cacique Tomala avenue, from South Bridge on the Guayas River, including a 7.6-kilometer bridge on the Cobina River; a 3.4-kilometer Bridge over the Guayas River—the longest in the country; end of the Guayas River bridge to the Puero Inca-Narajal route spanning 21.7 kilometers; and a bifurcation, an 11.5-kilometer link with the Duran-Boliche route.
Aside from this infrastructure project, the city government of Guayaquil has received four proposals from the private sector for the dredging of the port’s access channel, an initiative that would allow larger vessels to call the port, leading to the more efficient movement of import and export commodities.
In July Contecon Guayaquil was approved by the government to handle up to 305-meter mega vessels—essentially becoming the first and only container terminal in Ecuador capable of handling two mega vessels simultaneously.
This follows the inauguration of the terminal’s new greenfield development in January—an expanded logistics support area capable of handling more than 6,000 containers.
“With investments in modern infrastructure, Contecon will progressively raise the bar in container and general cargo handling operations in Ecuador,” ICTSI Vice President and Regional Head for the Americas Anders Kjeldsen said.
ICTSI has pledged $325 million for the 20-year concession period to operate the Guayaquil Container and Multipurpose Terminals at the Port of Guayaquil, which will end in 2027.