MOPC

With technical support from Chile, Paraguay is preparing the first tender for transport reform along the Mariscal López corridor, while bus companies say the technical fare has gone nine months without an update and are pressing for funds to keep the service running.

Paraguay’s draft 2027 National General Budget provides $76.5 million to subsidize public transport in Asunción and the metropolitan area, with coverage linked to public borrowing and, according to local reports, bond issuance. Lawmakers question the increase amid continuing service problems.

Asunción has presented an urban design manual for the Historic Center that calls for wider sidewalks, pedestrian-only streets and shared streets, with guidelines to standardize public spaces under an urban resilience project financed by a $100 million World Bank loan.

Paraguay plans to install a nitrogen fertilizer plant in Carmelo Peralta, initially supplied with Argentine gas from Vaca Muerta and later with gas from the Paraguayan Chaco, mainly serving Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul through the Bioceanic Route and the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway.

Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies approved a World Bank-linked USD 1 million grant for preparatory studies for Itapúa’s logistics infrastructure and transport project. Separately, it is considering a request to question MOPC Minister Claudia Centurión after the Pedrozo crash that killed six people, but the initiative is likely to be rejected by the majority.

Infrastructure for Nuevo Barrio Bañado Tacumbú in Asunción is 66% complete. Housing for more than 2,500 families is still awaiting evaluation of a tender that received 21 bids.

Rocío Vallejo submitted a draft resolution requesting that the MOPC provide information on the background, tenders, progress, costs, financing, possible obstacles and timeline of the Tren de Cercanías, a project relevant to metropolitan mobility and regional connectivity. The text will still be reviewed by Chamber of Deputies committees.

The Asunción Downtown Resilience Project has three construction contracts, including the burial of 2.5 kilometers of a transmission line and work in the Historic Center and Parque Caballero, but it is still awaiting contracts for housing in the Chacarita Eco-Inclusive District and for supervision.

A project presented in the Chamber of Deputies proposes declaring a bridge over the Paraguay River in Puerto Antequera to be of national interest, connecting San Pedro with the Chaco and the Bioceanic Corridor. The initiative does not approve construction, but could create a logistics alternative between the Eastern Region and the international corridor.

The Paraguayan government is negotiating $1.3 billion in loans with CAF, the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank and JICA for infrastructure, energy and logistics projects, with $700 million earmarked for the Ministry of Public Works and Communications.

MOPC conducted aerodynamic tests at the Polytechnic University of Milan to test the future Bioceanic Bridge, which will connect Paraguay and Brazil, against extreme winds in a controlled environment.

Paraguay's Chamber of Deputies is debating a request to summon the Minister of Public Works over the state of highways, prompted by a fatal accident, while expecting to approve a new $1 million credit for her ministry.

After the sixth death in the Pedrozo accident, Minister Claudia Centurión ordered the removal of the traffic light at the location within 30 days.

Five people died and seven were injured after a truck with brake failure collided with vehicles at the Pedrozo intersection in Ypacaraí on the PY02 highway, exposing mechanical failures, poor infrastructure, and delays in promised works for the site, while the driver is charged with negligent homicide and the opposition demands accountability from the Public Works Minister.

Paraguay advances work on the bioceanic corridor and the paving of PY05, while the Legislature releases loans of $75 million for rural connectivity and $286 million for the southern bioceanic corridor after overcoming political impasses.

Paraguay recorded a 40% increase in foreign direct investment in 2025, driven by hydropower and telecommunications, while the government launches strategies like the 'Industrial Revolution' to attract more capital and double GDP with sectoral reforms.

The Environment Commission of Paraguay's Chamber of Deputies approved a bill transferring management of Asunción's North, Central, and South waterfront roads from the municipality to the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC).

Senator denounces overpricing of up to 81% in MOPC bids, while minister denies irregularities and seeks to calm lawmakers with details on a financing package for works.

While Itaipu rehabilitates a main bridge on PY07, about 400 families in Alto Paraná have depended for decades on a precarious ferry to cross the Monday River.

Works on the return viaduct over Silvio Pettirossi Avenue, part of the Las Residentas Road Corridor duplication, advance with beam assembly and will require traffic diversions starting August 15, while parallel diversions in the area will occur between August 10 and 30 for drainage works.

The Paraguayan Chamber debates an IDB loan for rural connectivity that may be delayed due to disagreements in resource distribution, while the Senate advances with a Japanese loan for the bioceanic corridor.

The Paraguayan Senate approved in committee a $286 million loan for an integration corridor, while opposition senators accused the Ministry of Public Works of corruption for alleged overpricing in tenders, leading to the summons of Minister Claudia Centurión to provide explanations.

The Paraguayan government and industry associations have established a technical agenda to modernize mining with a new code, aiming to attract over $2 billion in investments, despite private sector criticism over a lack of dialogue in the process.

Lawmakers have introduced a bill to make permanent the toll exemption for residents of Ypacaraí, which currently depends on annual inclusion in the national budget.