BOLIVIA EAST-WEST CORRIDOR

The project consists of the doubling of the single carriageway road between Confital and Bombeo (44.6 km). The project is a section of the Caracollo-Colomi road in the Cochabamba department some 250 km southeast of the country's capital La Paz.

The project is part of the East-West Corridor between Brazil and Chile included in the Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America (IIRSA) strategic plan to reinforce economic integration and development in South America. The Confital-Bombeo section is part of the Caracollo-Colomi 2x2 road (doble vía) and is considered a national priority by Bolivia's national road authority and is part of their strategic road plan (plan vial). The project will improve access to neighbouring countries and is expected to increase and diversify Bolivian exports. Traffic levels should be moderate albeit with high induction potential given the low standards of the existing link and the high share of heavy traffic. The economic profitability should be good if final investment costs do not deviate significantly from current estimates. The promoter has shown adequate capacity to manage and implement relatively large road projects.

If the project was located within the EU, it would fall under Annex I of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive 2011/92/EU and would require full EIA and public consultation. An environmental and social (E&S) impact assessment with public consultation has been done according to Bolivian national legislation. The EIA was approved by the competent authority on 4 December 2013. The Bank will investigate E&S aspects and verify that the promoter has followed the relevant EU environmental and social principles, standards and practices.

The Bank will require the promoter to ensure that implementation of the project will be done in accordance with the Bank's Guide to Procurement.

This operation is covered by the EU Guarantee for EIB loans outside the EU.