The National Government is aiming at structuring and executing several infrastructure projects to improve the competitiveness and productivity indicators of the country and, at the same time, generate a balance in the demand of the modes.
In this sense, in the coming years 84.8 trillion pesos will be invested in railway, highway, fluvial and port projects.
(Read also: Winter delayed works on the variant that connects the Pan-American highway in Cauca)
Of this total, 50 billion pesos will go to public-private concession projects; 28.2 trillion pesos for the intervention of non-concession roads; 4 billion pesos will be for the strengthening of port areas, the maintenance of rivers and the development of the Magdalena River; and 2.6 trillion pesos for air connectivity.
With these initiatives, the Government seeks to consolidate intermodality and facilitate trade, reduce costs and logistics times. These costs today represent 12.6 percent of sales and it is expected that by 2030 this value will reach 9.5 percent, which would boost competitiveness against other countries.
Taking into account that 70 percent of the sector’s resources are already committed in future terms, the Ministry of Transportation will resort to other sources of financing such as the General Budget of the Nation, royalties, works for taxes, fees and considerationsvaluation and collection of tolls.
More kilometers on roads
The government intends to intervene 3,000 kilometers of primary and secondary road networkwith investments of more than 6 billion pesos in strategic projects that include, among others, Cúcuta-Ocaña, the old Prosperity road, the Cusiana crossroad, Puerto Gaitán-Puerto Carreño, Marginal de la Selva and Pasto-Buesaco.
They will also allocate resources for the operation and maintenance of initiatives such as comprehensive road management, tunnel operation, micro-entrepreneurs and road administrators.
Besides, to promote regional connectivity, it is expected to allocate more than 4.3 trillion pesos in projects such as Vías del Samán (1.2 trillion pesos), Vías de la Cigarra (700,000 million pesos) and the Transversales de la Mojana, Pedregal-Tumaco-Túquerres-Samaniego and the construction of emergency metal bridges (2, 4 billion pesos).
(Also read: Companies in crisis, after the collapse of the Pan-American highway 2 months ago)
In the same way, the projects in execution will have an investment of 2.2 trillion pesos for the construction of 1,160 kilometers in works such as the San Francisco Mocoa Variant, the Toyo Tunnel, the Alta Guajira Connectionthe Catatumbo Transversal, the Pacific-Orinoquia Connection, the Route of the Comuneros, Neiva-San Vicente del Caguan and La Lejía-Saravena.
There will also be an investment of 8 billion pesos for ‘Community roads for total peace’, a project for the improvement, rehabilitation, conservation and maintenance of 33,102 kilometers of tertiary roads. Through this initiative, the aim is to connect the countryside with the cities and commercialization centers of the country.
A new international terminal will be built at the Rafael Núñez airport in Cartagena.
boost to iron mode
One of the great challenges is the reactivation of the railway mode in order to reduce dependence on the road mode, which is currently 85 percent. While in 2018 highways received 77.4 percent of public investment, the rail mode only 1.8 percent. Although the country has more than 3,500 kilometers of railways, only 50 percent are active.
To begin with, the Government prioritized the structuring of strategic corridors such as La Dorada-Chiriguaná, Bogotá-Ferreo-Central and Buenaventura-Puerto Berrío.
The railway corridor between La Dorada-Chiriguaná has a length of 523 kilometers and it is estimated that its investment is 1.59 trillion pesos, with which will generate 45,000 jobs and will benefit 24 municipalities in Antioquia, Caldas, Cesar, Norte de Santander and Santander.
More air connectivity
The Government also anticipates that this year work on the Rafael Núñez airport, Cartagena, which includes the construction of a new international terminal, the expansion of the platform and the remodeling of the current terminal. This project will cost 490,000 million pesos and would generate 13,000 jobs.
For this city, an initiative is also being carried out to build a new terminal in the municipality of Bayunca, with an investment of 3.08 billion pesos. The promoter is still making feasibility supplements to later advance in the project approval process.
Likewise, at the San Andrés airport, the design, construction, modernization, operation and maintenance of the airport infrastructure will be carried out, both on the air side and on the land side. The investment will be 300,000 million pesosIt will generate 8,000 jobs and the feasibility is expected to be approved in the first quarter of 2023.
In the air sector, projects are also advancing for the Palmira and Neiva terminals. The works, which are in the approval process, would cost around 890,000 million pesos and would open 34,000 jobs.
In Bogotá, the ANI plans to carry out the private initiative El Dorado airport airfield (490,000 million pesos) and the expansion of the international terminal (6.9 trillion pesos) to improve transit and the travel experience of passengers to and from Colombia.
In the regions with the greatest difficulties with road connectivity, the Government intends to structure the ‘Essential Air Services’ program through which will reactivate the operation of public aerodromes so that remote communities have better connectivity.
(Also read: Viva Air international flight cancellations reported)
river projects
The government has also prioritized various river and sea projects to reduce freight transport costs, increase the country’s competitiveness and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
For it, strategic rivers such as the Atrato and the Meta will be intervened. Other convergence such as the Guaviare, Putumayo, San Juan, Inírida, Vaupés, Unilla, Igara Paraná rivers and the arms of the Magdalena river.
These initiatives add to the works on the dike channel, awarded to sacyrand those of the Magdalena River, which will cost 2.02 trillion pesos and will be structured in the first half of 2023.
Likewise, the planes include 1 billion pesos for the construction of 207 river docks in 86 municipalities that will benefit more than 2 million Colombians.
