The Interoceanic Highway or Trans-oceanic highway is an international, transcontinental highway in Peru and Brazil to connect the two countries (map). It entails the renovation and construction of roughly 2,600 kilometers of roads and 22 bridges. When completed, it will create a connected highway from the Peruvian ports of San Juan de Marcona to Brazilian ports and cities throughout the City of Rio Branco ZPE (Special Export Zone). Although the project almost exclusively involves construction in Peru because of Brazil's already well developed road system. The project was originally proposed more than 30 years before the 2004 agreement between Alejandro Toledo and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, then presidents of the two countries.
In Peru the project is known by the MTC (Ministerio de Transportes y Comunicaciones) as the Corredor Vial Interoceánico Sur Perú-Brasil and by ProInversion (Private Investment Promotion Agency - Peru) as the IIRSA (Iniciativa para la Integración de la Infraestructura Regional Suramericana) SUR axis. The project is part of a national road investment plan which involves the construction of 3 longitudinal highways, and 20 transversal highways. Parts of these transversal highways make up part of IIRSA SUR.
Read more about Interoceanic Highway: Construction, Andean Watershed Crossings, Environmental Concerns, Other Trans-Andean Transport Projects, Bibliography
Famous quotes containing the word highway:
“The improved American highway system ... isolated the American-in-transit. On his speedway ... he had no contact with the towns which he by-passed. If he stopped for food or gas, he was served no local fare or local fuel, but had one of Howard Johnson’s nationally branded ice cream flavors, and so many gallons of Exxon. This vast ocean of superhighways was nearly as free of culture as the sea traversed by the Mayflower Pilgrims.”
—Daniel J. Boorstin (b. 1914)