The consortium led by abertis and the Goldman Sachs Infrastructure Partners II investment fund has closed together with the Puerto Rican government the contract to manage the PR-22 and PR-5 toll roads. The consortium took over the management of the two toll roads yesterday for a 40-year period, following the payment of a concession fee of US $1,136Mn (€830Mn).

The contract was won by a consortium formed by abertis (45%) and investment fund Goldman Sachs Infrastructure Partners II (55%). Approximately 40% of the deal has been funded through capital contributions by the partners, with the remaining 60% financed with long-term debt. The consortium will operate these toll roads through a jointly-owned company called Autopistas Metropolitanas de Puerto Rico LLC (Metropistas).

abertis plans to account for the new assets in Puerto Rico using the equity method. The deal is not expected to have an impact on the group's credit rating.

The agreement strengthens abertis' toll road operations in Puerto Rico, where it has managed the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge in the metropolitan area of San Juan for 16 years. abertis' presence in Puerto Rico over the past years and its commitment to the community and to service quality have helped make the group a preferred partner for public-private projects in Puerto Rico and future public-private undertakings in the US.