Downtown (Asuncion) Re-Development, Modernisation of Metropolitan Public Transport & Govt Offices

Paraguay

The capital Asunción and its suburbs covers 11,700 hectares and has an estimated population of 520,000, making it the country’s largest urban area. Much of the city’s infrastructure is deteriorated and insufficient to meet the population’s needs. The project will therefore carry out a wide-range or urban development works, which will include, among others: rehabilitation and upgrading of water supply and sanitation systems; roads; marketplaces; and electricity and telecommunication networks; restoration of historical public buildings and construction of Government office buildings, including a citizen service center; and construction of the city’s first high-capacity Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS). The majority of OFID's loan will be directed to the establishment of the BRTS between the city centers of San Lorenzo and Asunción. As well as benefitting some 1.9 million people from improved mobility, the new transport system will reduce the use of fossil fuels and therefore help improve overall air quality.