Sub-contractor minimizes Odebrecht link
AS INVESTIGATORS delve into the contracts and bribery activities of the Odebrecht company during three administrations, one subcontractor has moved to distance itself from the creation of the highway that encircles Casco Viejo.
The Louis Berger Group announced on Monday Feb.6 that it was hired as a subcontractor by Odebrecht to design sections of the Cinta Constera 3 road project.
According to Regine de la Cruz, vice president of Communications for Louis Berger, the company was hired only to design a portion of the overall project, and did not design the viaduct that rings Casco Antiguo.
Instead, it designed the part of the project between the Amador Causeway and the beginning of the viaduct, as well as the roundabout at the Seafood Market and the entrance to the viaduct at that end.
Louis Berger was paid $1.2 million for the design of those sections.
“Louis Berger did not design the viaduct, which was the most expensive part of the project, we only participated in the design review of this portion of the project,” she said.
In a press release published on the Louis Berger web site in 2015, it revealed that the project was recognized by Engineering NewsRecord (ENR) in its annual competition as one of the top highway projects
In that release, Louis Berger said it “developed the services of technical advice and quality control for the $345 million project that has helped transform the city by improving mobility along this major roadway.”
According to de la Cruz, the cost of the project indicated on the website referred only to the
portions designed by the company, and not the overall cost, which was $780 million.
