Noboa Came to Cuenca This Week — $21M Highway Contract, Housing Projects Signed

The Visit

President Daniel Noboa spent two days in Cuenca on March 18-19, and unlike some presidential visits that are mostly photo ops, this one came with signed contracts and concrete commitments.

Here's what actually happened.

$21 Million Highway Contract: Cuenca-Molleturo-El Empalme

This is the big one. Noboa signed a $21 million contract to improve the Cuenca-Molleturo-El Empalme highway — the main route connecting Cuenca to the coast via Guayaquil.

Why this matters to you:

• This road is a lifeline. It's how most goods get to Cuenca from the coast, and it's the most common driving route to Guayaquil
• It's been a disaster zone during rainy season — landslides have closed it repeatedly, sometimes for days at a time
• The contract is World Bank-funded, which generally means better oversight and accountability than purely national contracts
• 400+ jobs will be created during construction

The Cuenca-Molleturo road is notoriously dangerous. Narrow, winding, and carved into unstable mountainsides, it's been the site of bus accidents, landslide closures, and white-knuckle driving experiences for decades. Any improvement is welcome.

Timeline: Construction details haven't been fully announced, but World Bank-funded projects typically move faster than domestically funded ones because of compliance requirements.

"Miti Miti" Housing in Mayancela

Noboa also announced a new affordable housing project under the "Miti Miti" program (which roughly translates to "half and half" in Kichwa — the government funds half, residents fund half).

The project is in Mayancela, a growing neighborhood on Cuenca's southwest side. Details:

• Targeted at low and middle-income Ecuadorian families
• Part of the national "Casa para Todos" housing strategy
• Mayancela has been expanding rapidly, and this adds formal, planned housing to an area that's been growing somewhat chaotically

For expats, this is mostly relevant as context — it signals continued growth in that part of the city, which could affect traffic patterns and property values in surrounding areas.

Iskay Project Reactivated ($4.7M)

Perhaps the most surprising announcement: the Iskay project has been reactivated with $4.7 million in funding.

This project has been stalled since 2011 — that's 15 years of bureaucratic limbo. The Iskay project is a social infrastructure initiative that was originally designed to improve community facilities and services in underserved areas of the Cuenca canton.

The fact that it's been dormant for a decade and a half and is now suddenly moving again tells you something about the political dynamics — Noboa clearly wants to show he's delivering for Cuenca ahead of the 2025-2026 election cycle.

What This Means for Cuenca

Presidential visits to Cuenca aren't rare, but ones with signed contracts are less common. The highway investment is genuinely significant — that road affects everyone who lives here, whether you drive it yourself or just eat food that arrives on trucks that use it.

The housing and Iskay projects signal continued investment in Cuenca's infrastructure, which is generally positive for property values and quality of life.

The political context: Noboa has been focused heavily on security and the coast. This visit suggests he's not ignoring the Sierra, and specifically not ignoring Azuay — a province where his support has been mixed. Signed contracts are harder to walk back than promises.

Sources: El Mercurio