Almost four years after the start of construction work, the Roosevelt Causeway overpass entered its final stage.
The structure is completed and the Municipality of Guatemala has even released images and simulations of its operation; However, officially the work cannot yet be used because the Ministry of Communications is keeping the reception process pending and assures that there is still no date to enable it.
The pproject started in September 2022 with the promise of becoming a solution for one of the points with the greatest traffic congestion in the city.
The initial planning contemplated delivering the work in October 2023, but various inconveniences modified the schedule and extended the work for several years.
Among the main obstacles was the need to relocate a pipeline that supplies drinking water to various sectors of the capital, a situation that forced construction to be temporarily suspended and part of the project redesigned.
Subsequently, problems related to the supervision of the work also arose, which again delayed its execution and postponed the planned delivery.
With the infrastructure already completed, a less visible but equally important stage now begins: during the official reception it will be verified that the work complies with the technical and contractual specifications before authorizing its operation.
This procedure will allow establishing How many days of delay did the construction company accumulate? and calculate the fine that would be applied for failure to comply with the deadlines.
At the moment, neither the delay time nor the financial penalty have been defined.
Cost of the work
The overpass represented a investment of Q53 million 911 thousand 518.43 and was designed to improve mobility between zones 3, 7 and 11 of the capital, in addition to speeding up entry and exit to the west of the country.
While municipal authorities show the benefits that the new infrastructure will have once it comes into operation, the decision on its opening continues to depend on the completion of the administrative process.
Only after receipt of the work will it be known when it can be opened for traffic and if the prolonged delay will have economic consequences for the company responsible.