LatinNews Daily - 08 May 2024

*The Central American development bank (BCIE) has approved US$96.3m in financing for Honduras for the new ‘Tranche B-1 Bypass El Progreso’ highway under the Honduras Resilient Roads Programme (PCR-HN). According to a BCIE press release, the new highway, approximately 16km long, has the objective of “continuing to promote economic and social growth in Honduras and strengthening its productive and touristic capacity, which will indirectly benefit more than 873,000 Hondurans and directly benefit 75,000 people who travel on a daily basis”. It adds that this “strategic bypass in the northern part of the country will have a positive impact on the flow of traffic in the touristic corridor of Honduras. It is expected to significantly reduce travel time by approximately one hour…” According to the BCIE, with this route, the current delays caused by long lines of vehicles from La Barca municipality, Cortés department, San Pedro Sula (Cortés), Tela (Atlántida department), and La Ceiba (Atlántida), passing through the city of El Progreso (Yoro department) will be avoided. In December 2023, BCIE approved Tranche A of the PCR-HN for US$606.9m for the rehabilitation and improvement of 308km in the eastern and northern part of the country, including the tranches La Barca-El Progreso, El Progreso-Tela and Tela-La Ceiba, which was approved by congress in March 2024. The ‘Bypass El Progreso’ complements the tranches previously approved for the touristic corridor of Honduras.