Xochi Corridor Opens, Latin America’s First Envision-Verified Project

Xochi – Corredor de las Flores Project began operating earlier this month, one year after it became the first Envision verified project in Latin America.

Spanning approximately 175 hectares, Xochi is a new bypass road connecting km 142 to km 173 of Guatemala’s Central American Highway 2 West (“CA-2 Occidente”). As the primary land route between Mexico and Central America, this corridor supports more than 50% of Guatemala’s GDP. As noted in ISI’s announcement last year, the project’s construction phase created an estimated 1,300 direct jobs and more than 3,000 indirect jobs.

Transportation infrastructure plays a vital role in economic growth across Guatemala and Central America.¹ A report by the Inter-American Development Bank has calculated that the region will require more than USD 548.3 billion in transportation infrastructure investment through 2030 — including roadways, airports, and mass transit — with nearly 60 percent dedicated to roads.

Xochi was designed not only to reduce congestion and improve safety in the cities and communities along the route, but also to mitigate the visual, noise, and air pollution impacts associated with heavy traffic. Built to international safety standards, the four-lane, 31-km toll road has a right-of-way width of 50 metres and a design speed of 80 kilometres per hour. Construction included 23 bridges, 4 interchanges, as well as tolling and signage systems. Xochi is also novel in that it was implemented through a private partnership led by Fondo BPS, an IDC Group company, with financial support from Banco Industrial, Guatemala’s largest bank, and IDB Invest, part of the Inter-American Development Bank Group.

True to its socio-economic vision, the project incorporated programs to strengthen entrepreneurship among women and young people, including the development of business incubators and reforestation efforts using native species along the right of way. That emphasis on environmental restoration inspired the project’s name — Xochi, meaning “route of flowers.”

ISI caught up with Rodolfo Martinez, Commercial, Operations & Maintenance Manager for the Xochi Project earlier this year to learn more.

What do you see as the biggest sustainability challenges in transportation?

One of the greatest challenges is ensuring that transportation infrastructure evolves to serve both people and Guatemala. In our region, this means balancing the growing need for connectivity and logistics with the imperative to reduce emissions, minimize environmental impact, and enhance safety and equity across communities.
What motivated your team to pursue Envision verification², and become the first project in your country to achieve verification?

We wanted to raise the bar. From the start, we envisioned Xochi not just as a road, but as a transformative project — one that integrates sustainability, resilience, and innovation. Envision provided a rigorous framework to assess and validate our efforts. We are proud to be the first Envision Verified project in Latin America, and we hope this inspires others in the region.

How do you see Envision supporting long-term sustainability goals in infrastructure development?

Envision encourages a mindset shift — from short-term delivery to long-term value creation. It helps project developers, investors, and communities align around a common vision of quality, resilience, and social impact. For us, it has been a tool to foster transparency, credibility, and continuous improvement.

How did the local context shape the way Envision was applied?

Guatemala’s regulatory landscape, combined with the socio-environmental challenges of the southwest region, required us to adapt Envision’s global criteria into a more grounded, community-centered implementation. From prioritizing reforestation with native species to eliminating invasive plants and fertilizers, to integrating citizen participation programs like Emprendex and Xamba, our team aligned every decision with the realities and aspirations of the people and ecosystems that surround Xochi. This deep connection with the territory helped us ensure that the infrastructure we’re building is not only resilient and efficient — but also inclusive, responsible, and truly sustainable.

Notes:
1. Juan Pablo Brichetti et al., The Infrastructure Gap in Latin America and the Caribbean: Investment Needed Through 2030 to Meet the Sustainable Development Goals (Washington, DC: Inter-American Development Bank, 2021), https://doi.org/10.18235/0003759.
2. The Envision Framework was first introduced in Guatemala through the Guatemala Green Building Council (GGBC). ISI has partnerships with GGBC and several Green Building Councils throughout Latin America.