The governor of Chubut, Ignacio "Nacho" Torres, announced that he will submit a bill for the province to take responsibility for the repair and maintenance of National Route 40.
The initiative includes charging a fee to foreign trucks, mainly from Chile, that travel along that corridor and cause significant deterioration of the road infrastructure.
Usage fee and debt compensation
Torres explained that the province can't intervene directly on a national route without legal authorization. For this reason, he will propose a compensation scheme: Chubut will take charge of the project in exchange for canceling a debt inherited from previous administrations.
"Instead of paying a debt incurred by previous administrations, we're going to compensate for it by taking charge of the project. Route 40 is currently a danger to the lives of Chubut residents and many Argentinians who travel on it," Torres stated in a video published on social media.
A fee for heavy trucks arriving from Chile
The proposal provides for the establishment of a weighing and fee system for transport trucks entering from Chile. "We're going to submit a bill so that the Legislature authorizes us to charge a fee to those who destroy the route, such as Chilean trucks that use it intensively," the governor emphasized.
Chubut cobrará tasa a camiones chilenos por uso de la Ruta 40
According to his explanation, the goal is to create a fund for the ongoing maintenance of the route. "Repairing it without addressing the underlying problem would lead to it being destroyed again in just a few years," he warned.
Road safety, tourism, and production
Torres emphasized that the project is "key for road safety, tourism, and production" in the province. For this reason, he defended the initiative as a "fair scheme" in which "those who use it the most also contribute to its maintenance."
Accompanied by Vice Governor Gustavo Menna and the Secretary of Infrastructure, Hernán Tórtola, Torres explained that the project also includes stricter controls on the transit of heavy cargo in that section.
Progress with legislative support
The governor assured that the Executive will submit the bill to the provincial Legislature in the coming days. "To govern is to act firmly and take care of what belongs to everyone," Torres stated, as he seeks to reinforce the proactive profile of his administration in the face of the lack of national projects on key routes.
