SAN SALVADOR – U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, Mari Carmen Aponte, and authorities from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) kicked off the construction of the permanent bridge over the San Antonio River, the first project to start under USAID’s Tropical Storm Ida Reconstruction Project. The design and construction of the bridge, located 2.4 miles from the Port of La Libertad on El Salvador’s important Coast Highway, is valued at $ 1.9 million.

The new San Antonio Bridge is part of the major route for sugar cane, a main export product of the country, and will benefit directly 36,000 residents and the Salvadoran economy. The bowstring bridge will have 36 meters of length with sidewalks and lighting to provide a safe transit.

In addition, Acting Mission Director of USAID/El Salvador, Larry Sacks, and the Minister of Public Works, Gerson Martinez, signed a symbolic cooperation agreement to build the Acahuapa Bridge, located in San Vicente, with an investment of $4.9 million. That bridge is also part of the "Sugar Cane Route" and will benefit about 50,000 residents in the area.

"We reconfirm our commitment to El Salvador, which was clearly stated by President Obama when he visited El Salvador in 2011 and announced the Partnership for Growth between the United States and El Salvador. Since then, we have worked hand in hand to improve the security and economic opportunities for Salvadoran families. The construction of this bridge is one of the concrete results of the Partnership for Growth, which aims to provide greater security and prosperity for Salvadorans," said Ambassador Aponte during the ceremony.

On November 8 and 9, 2009, landslides and flooding caused by Tropical Storm Ida resulted in the loss of lives and infrastructure in El Salvador. The disaster affected over 125,000 people and caused 200 deaths and over 15,000 displaced Salvadorans. The storm also destroyed critical infrastructure including bridges, roads, houses, schools, health clinics and water facilities. Through USAID’s $25 million Tropical Storm Ida Reconstruction Project, USAID will support the reconstruction and rehabilitation of infrastructure prioritized by the Government of El Salvador in the departments of La Libertad, Cuscatlán, La Paz and San Vicente.

The San Antonio bridge groundbreaking ceremony was chaired by Ambassador Aponte, the Mayor of Puerto de La Libertad, Carlos Molina; the Minister for Public Works, Gerson Martinez; the Deputy Governor of La Libertad, Jorge Gómez, and the Acting Mission Director of USAID/El Salvador, Larry Sacks.

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