Arlington, VA – Today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency hosted Honduran President Nasry Asfura for the signing of an agreement to accelerate the development of an overland transportation corridor in Honduras that would connect the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. The signing ceremony was held ahead of the Shield of the Americas Summit hosted by President Donald J. Trump in Miami.

Under the agreement, USTDA will fund a feasibility study to support new port and rail infrastructure that will also protect America’s access to vital trade routes. The project will increase the resiliency of U.S. supply chains and safeguard the free flow of goods vital to the American economy and national defense. It will also promote deployment of U.S. technology to develop secure port and rail infrastructure.

“To strengthen critical U.S. supply chains, we must ensure that strategic trade routes in the Western Hemisphere remain free, open and efficient,” said Thomas R. Hardy, USTDA’s Deputy Director. “USTDA’s involvement in this project will support the use of American technology and standards to expand these secure U.S. trade routes, free of Chinese influence.”

USTDA’s funding will support Honduras’ National Commission for the Construction of the Interoceanic Railway (CONFI) to mitigate these risks, strengthening regional supply chains in the short term and paving the way for a coast-to-coast rail corridor. CONFI selected New Jersey-based Hudson-Arvon, LLC d/b/a ShorelineHudson to carry out the study.

The firm will assess infrastructure upgrades at existing port bottlenecks, including enhancements to improve capacity at the Port of San Lorenzo and an inland intermodal rail terminal to relieve congestion and increase cargo throughput capacity at the Port of Cortés. The study will also recommend standards for future rail infrastructure and develop a financing and implementation plan that identifies American suppliers for the project, including U.S. exporters of locomotives, railcars, container-handling equipment, terminal operating systems and security systems.

The project will increase Honduras’s ability to securely manage an increased international trade capacity by increasing port efficiency, capacity, and security in ways that could be replicated at other national ports. The work follows on previous USTDA engagement that has generated U.S. exports to improve the ports’ safety and efficiency using American cybersecurity and other digital solutions.

Honduran President Nasry Asfura said: “Without a doubt, this agreement will strengthen our efforts and ensure that this project becomes a reality in the shortest time possible. I am confident that with our largest trading partner, the United States, this project will help strengthen investment in Honduras.”

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The U.S. Trade and Development Agency is the U.S. government’s first mover on critical infrastructure development in emerging markets, advancing the shared strategic priorities of the United States and our overseas partners while creating opportunities to deploy trusted U.S. solutions. USTDA funds the upfront technical work that accelerates the development of infrastructure projects, helping them attract the financing they need for implementation and procurement of U.S. goods and services.

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