Universidad de Cuenca held the first Regional Congress on Highway administration, which was organized by the citizens’ assembly group “Gran Cruzada por la Vialidad del Azuay” and the support of Universidad Politécnica Salesiana (UPS), Universidad de Cuenca, Universidad Católica de Cuenca (UCACUE) and the Chamber of Construction Industry of Cuenca. 

The aim of the congress is to have an event where professionals from different disciplines, authorities and society in general can exchange ideas, discuss common problems and analyze new management models to suggest solutions to the serious road situation in the region.

Juan Espinoza, vice president of Universidad de Cuenca, welcomed everyone to the event. The talks were led by Santiago Moscoso, dean of the engineering, industries and construction faculty at Universidad Catolica de Cuenca; Juan Cardenas, president of Universidad Politecnica Salesiana; Juan Cristobal Lloret, prefect of Azuay; and Maria Cristina Garcia, president of the citizens’ assembly group “Gran Cruzada por la Vialidad del Azuay”. 

During his presentation, Juan Cardenas said “the organizations responsible for keeping the roads in good shape have not achieved their objectives, which is why many areas are now critical sites. Factors such as climatic conditions and especially the El Niño Phenomenon, will further affect the road infrastructure in these "critical sites", which will cause interruptions in traffic and in some cases total closures of roads.”