In September 2001 a study financed by USAID and designed by PRA quantified the amount of economic losses in the corridors due to a lack of transportation infrastructure. The methodology, designed by Dr. Roxana Barrantes, calculates the economic impacts of highways and national ports to quantify the potential benefits and with technical criteria assigned to available resources. This study identified the rehabilitation of the Fernanado Belaunde Terry Highway as the top priority over 24 other projects in the fight against poverty. The Fernando Belaunde Terry Highway, which runs from Tarapoto to Aucayacu, accounts for US$254 of economic losses in a 7 year timeframe.

PRA, within its policy dialogue work, proposed meetings to educate members of congress and other government authorities about the study results and the importance of infrastructure projects. However, the lack of government action cited was due to shortfall in government resources and the limits on public sector indebtedness.

USAID requested that Chemonics International, through the PRA project design a Public Private Partnership in the economic corridors. The objective of the PPP was to facilitate enterprise development, improve productivity and competitiveness and spur economic growth in key regions of Peru through the design and implementation of long-term public-private partnerships would finance, build, rehabilitate, operate and maintain major road and port infrastructure projects. The program would concentrate on transportation, electrification, and irrigation water. For each sector, there would be two phases:

a) Identifying and selecting infrastructure projects in the priority sectors based on demand and political commitment.

b) Transaction design and implementation to cover the complete project cycle.