Construction of Second Stretch of MCC Funded Highway Project Begins

Charge d’Affaires Robert Blau and Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes shake hands after taking part in a ceremony in Nueva Concepcion, Chalatenango.

On August 19, US Charge d’Affaires, Robert Blau, Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes, and local Salvadoran government representatives participated in a ceremony to celebrate the beginning of the construction of the second stretch of the Northern Transnational Highway.

Known as 2B2, the second stretch of the highway covers 13.4 kilometers (8.3 miles) of road from Caserio El Matazano to Nueva Concepcion, Chalatengango.  It is a major project under the $461 million compact between El Salvador and Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) resulting in the creation of over 560 jobs.  The highway will link the Northern Zone to other parts of El Salvador and will connect Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.

This infrastructure improvement will have an important impact on efforts to reduce poverty in Central America.  The Northern Transnational Highway will unite the Northern Zone with the rest of El Salvador through a modern road system. Spanning about 290 kilometers (180 miles), the highway is expected to extend from the Guatemalan border in the northwest corner of El Salvador, across the northern part of the country to the Honduran border in the east.  The construction of the highway will provide immediate jobs, spur regional trade, and help build a sustainable foundation for new business activity in the region.