Argentina will invest 17.3 billion pesos (1.153 billion U.S. dollars) to build road and rail infrastructure in the eastern province of Corrientes, local media reported on Friday.

"We are very pleased with our relationship with (Corrientes) Gov. Ricardo Colombi and with the possibilities we have to definitively transform the infrastructure of the province," the daily El Libertador cited Transport Minister Guillermo Dietrich as saying.

Dietrich made the announcement at a press conference on Thursday in the province's capital of the same name, accompanied by Colombi and Mayor Fabian Rios.

The projects, expected to generate some 2,500 jobs, include building 717 kilometers of roadway and 63 km of highway, as well as paving 41 km of dairt road and repaving another 324 km of roads.

A second bridge will be built to connect the city of Corrientes with Resistencia, the capital of neighboring Chaco province, cutting the drive time down to an hour and 20 minutes.

To improve cargo transport, the plan will renew 66 km of rail lines and build a new port at Ita Ibate, a riverfront city along the Parana River separating Argentina from neighboring Paraguay.

"That is a fundamental project for shipping production from the north of the province," said Dietrich, adding "it has been 23 years since a public port was built from the bottom up with state investment."

Funds will also go towards improving urban transportation in the capital Corrientes, with the construction of a rapid transit bus system that runs on dedicated lanes, similar to the Metrobus that operates in the nation's capital Buenos Aires.

"Our priority is public transport," said Dietrich. "The Corrientes corridor is one of the nine that we have in our portfolio (of projects), as part of the federal government's plan to have people travel better and faster throughout the country."

The 150 million-peso Metrobus corridor will serve 120,000 city residents.

Source : XINHUA