Milei's government moves forward with the privatization of 4,400 km (2,734 miles) of highways

The national government is preparing to launch a national and international public tender aimed at granting concessions for 4,428 kilometers (2,751 miles) of strategic routes distributed across eight corridors that cross the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Córdoba, San Luis, and La Pampa.

This is Stage II of the Federal Concessions Network, a program through which the government seeks to transfer responsibility for the maintenance, operation, and works of these routes to the private sector under state supervision.

The call for bids is expected to be published in the Official Gazette in the coming days, according to official sources. The preliminary bidding documents are already available, while the final legal reviews are being supervised by the Legal and Technical Secretariat of the Presidency.

This program is part of a structural transformation in the road policy of Javier Milei's government. The Federal Concessions Network covers a total of 9,154 kilometers (5,690 miles), equivalent to 20% of the national road network, but which concentrates 80% of the traffic.

Unlike Stage I, which tendered only two sections (741 km[460 miles]) of the so-called Mercosur Route, this second stage involves eight corridors of greater length and operational complexity.

The eight sections being tendered are:

• Southern Section: National Route 3 (Cañuelas - Bahía Blanca) and Route 205 (up to Bolívar).
• Atlantic Section: Route 226 (Mar del Plata - Bolívar).
• Pampa Section: Route 5 (Luján - Santa Rosa and Realicó).
• Mediterranean Section: Routes 7 and 35.
• Puntano Section: Route 8 (Pilar - Villa Mercedes) and logistical integration with Paraná port corridors.
• Southern Port Section: Campana - Rosario.
• Northern Port Section: San Nicolás - center of the country.
• Southern Access: Ricchieri, Newbery, and Ezeiza-Cañuelas highways.

The new concession model includes the obligation to carry out enhancement works, pavement rehabilitation, structural improvements, and the implementation of the Free Flow system at tolls, eliminating physical barriers and migrating to electronic payment at all stations by mid-2027.

Minimum standards for maintenance, lighting, signage, and safety are also established, which will be subject to state audits. Awarded companies must provide technical, financial, and contractual guarantees.

Regulatory framework and institutional changes

The tender is supported by Decree 97/2025, which authorizes the privatization of the corridors, the termination of current contracts, and the future dissolution of Corredores Viales S.A. The process is coordinated by the Ministry of Economy and the Public Companies Transformation Agency, led by Diego Chaher.

Meanwhile, the judicial suspension of Decree 461/2025, with which the Executive Branch had attempted to dissolve the National Road Directorate, remains in effect. Despite the judicial halt, the government insists that its elimination responds to a redesign of the public works scheme.

In the official view, the aim is to abandon the direct execution of works to focus on planning, investment control, and contract administration under an outsourcing model.