Korea Expressway Corp. launched the PMC project (Road technology capability reinforcing project through the construction of Paraguay Road Technology Research Institute) on Jan. 6 with Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT).
The project was ordered by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for the purpose of strengthening Paraguay's research and quality management capabilities and establishing the foundation for the advancement of road technology, and will be jointly participated by the Korea Expressway Corp. (67.7 percent) and KICT (32.3 percent).
Twelve experts from the two organizations will be deployed by the end of 2021 to establish a master plan for the Road Technology Research Institute, propose alternatives to solve problems in the road field (asphalt, concrete, ground, transportation plan, safety), strengthen capabilities of the Road Technology Research Institute, and support the introduction of experimental equipment.
Paraguay is an inland country located in the middle of the South American continent, which has a road pavement rate of less than 10 percent, and a very poor competitiveness in road quality.
Meanwhile, Korea Expressway Corp. is also conducting overseas projects such as construction supervision of Bangladesh's largest state-run Fadma 2-story multipurpose bridge (6.2 kilometers), road stereogram construction management to ease traffic congestion in Mauritius, Africa, and operation and maintenance consulting for the 66-kilometer Almaty Circular Road in Kazakhstan.
"We expect that the introduction of Korean-style road technology standards through the establishment of the Paraguay technology institute will increase opportunities for Korean companies to enter the Paraguay and Latin American markets," an official of Korea Expressway Corp. said.
