First Stage of Federal Road Concession Network

Decree 28/2025 was published in the Official Gazette on January 15, 2025, providing that current Road Corridor 18 and two new sections of the Argentine Road Network will be awarded within the framework of Public Works Concessions Law 17520 during the next 12 months.

This measure implements the first stage of the Federal Concession Network program, which was announced by the current administration in the last months of 2024.
 

The bidding process ordered by Decree 28/2025 includes the following roads and sections:

• Road Corridor 18, currently operated by concessionaire Caminos del Río Uruguay SA, whose concession expires in April 2025. Corridor 18 has a total length of 676 km, which mainly include federal roads 12 and 14 and the RosarioVictoria Bridge. It extends through the provinces of Buenos Aires, Entre Rios, Santa Fe and Corrientes and covers three border crossings with Uruguay and Brazil.
• Two sections that are currently operated by the Argentine Highway Authority (federal road 12—between the cities of Ceibas and Gualeguay, in the Province of Entre Rios—and the section of federal road 117 over the Agustin P. Justo International Bridge up to the border with Brazil).
   

Decree 28/2025 grants the Ministry of Economy, through the Secretariat of Transportation, the power (among others) to:

1. modify the composition of the roads and sections to be tendered,
2. call for local and international public bidding,
3. approve the bidding documents and the text of the concession contract,
4. award the concession,
5. perform the concession contracts.

The Argentine Highway Authority (DNV) will be the enforcement authority of the concession contracts, exercising its supervision and control.

Meanwhile, Resolution DNV 104/2025 was published in the Official Gazette on January 27, 2025, ordering that public hearings on the Project “Federal Concession Network - Stage 1” be held on February 25 and 27, 2025 in the Province of Entre Rios. Some preliminary bidding documents for this process have already been published on the official website of the Argentine Highway Authority.

It will be important to follow up closely the way in which this process is carried out, since it is the first step to implement the policy of President Javier Milei's Administration in this sector.