The tailwind brought by the infrastructure sector in the country with fourth generation (4G) and fifth generation (5G) projects, which have been under development for years, especially in terms of roads, seems to have faded. is diluting throughout the country.
This is an important year on various fronts: it is the final stretch of local administrations, concessions (4G and Bicentenario), tertiary pathways and the challenges facing the government.
The Government said that it has everything ready to finance new megaprojects of trains and highways in Colombia.
This after the Council of Ministers approved increasing the total quota of future vigencies (resources for the next few years) of the country.
This was confirmed by President Petro himself, who assured that the ceiling for using these resources was raised from 0.6% to 0.8% of GDP.
Currently, 132 infrastructure projects are being developed in the country that have to do with roads, airports, ports, airports and railways.
Not in vain for this year, within the general budget, a budget of $15.8 trillion (US$3.270 million) is established for the infrastructure sector, which includes Public Private Partnerships (PPP) or those undertaken directly by the country.
Of that investment, 70% has already been promised for the portfolio of fourth and fifth generation road projects, the Vice Minister of Infrastructure, María Constanza García, said at the time during the Economic Perspectives 2023 forum.
According to the National Infrastructure Agency (ANI), it currently has another 130 projects that will be tendered this year between ports, highways, airports and railways.
According to the vice minister, the country has a portfolio of infrastructure projects in different stages that totals $85 billion, and she says that for every billion invested it can generate some 30,000 direct jobs.
A total of 132 projects are being developed in the country -in various stages-, of which 63 correspond to the port area; 46 to highway projects; 19 airports; and, four railway projects. To these will be added the four that were indicated in advance.
ports
Of these hundred initiatives, the most relevant in the port area correspond to the two coaling docks of Cerrejón Zona Norte, with an investment of almost US$11 million; the American Port Company loading dock, with an investment of close to US$6 million; hethe construction of the Puerto Bahía Colombia maritime terminal in Urabá, with an investment of US$ 2.7 million; and, the storage warehouses of the Associated Ports Company, whose investment amounts to US$ 2.2 million, according to the ANI.
airports
Of the airport projects, the Yariguíes projects in Barrancabermeja stand out; Camilo Daza in Cúcuta; Admiral Padilla in Riohacha; Palonegro in Bucaramanga; Simón Bolívar in Santa Marta; Alfonso López Pumarejo in Valledupar; and El Dorado, whose investments exceed US$250 million each.
Among the four major works that ANI expects to carry out in the coming months, with a total investment of $8 billion, are the Rafael Núñez Airport in Cartagena, the Gustavo Rojas Pinilla airports in San Andrés, which is in the process of approvals for the pertinent entities, and the Alfonso Bonilla Aragón air terminal, in Palmira, which in total consider an estimated investment bag of $1.6 trillion.
Investments in the railway sector
In recent years, investments in the railway sector do not reach 2% of the total invested in infrastructure, which has slowed down its development, said Vice Minister García.
He added that close to 25% of the cargo that moves by highways could be moved by rail if $27 billion is invested.
There are several priorities in the rail segment, including the La Dorada-Chiriguana and Pacific corridors.
The FDN development bank is working on structuring a public-private association (PPP) for La Dorada-Chiriguaná, a US$334 million project that should be awarded in the first half of 2024.
The concession for the load line, between the interior of the country and the Caribbean region, will be for 10 years.
Although the PPP is being prepared, the infrastructure agency ANI published the preliminary documents for the bidding process for US$15.6 million for the maintenance, conservation and improvement of the corridor.
On the other hand, the Pacific Corridor is one of the great bets of the government. With a total length of some 850km, the line will run from the port of Buenaventuraon the southeastern coast, to La Felisa, a town in the department of Caldas located approximately 100km south of Medellín.
tertiary pathways
Today, the rural road network is made up of more than 142 kilometers, of which more than 80% is in charge of territorial entities and 19%, in charge of Invías (more than 27,500 km).
Ehe government has proposed the intervention of 33,102 km throughout this four-year period, of which more than 4,100 km will be intervened with an investment of $1.5 trillion.
4G concessions
Currently, the progress of the execution of the 4G program reports indexes close to 70%.
These are five corridors that are part of the 4G routes and that are licensed by the National Infrastructure Agency (ANI).
Autopista Mar 2
The first, which is already at 95%, is Autopista Mar 2 and is key to the connection between Medellín and Urabá in Antioquia and the future Puerto Antioquia.
The corridor includes 62 bridges and 12 tunnels, along 254 km, which go from the municipality of Cañasgordas to Necoclí.
North Connection Highway
The North Connection Highway joins the municipalities of Remedio and Caucasia. The value of their investments amounts to $1.8 trillion, which has allowed the construction of practically the entire corridor (going at 94%).
It is about 145 km that were inaugurated by former president Iván Duque, but these will only be fully in service this year with the progress of another concession.
Bucaramanga-Barrancabermeja-Yondo
There is also the Bucaramanga-Barrancabermeja-Yondó megaproject, which is part of the Cocoa Route and foresees investments of $3.7 billion. Currently, they register a 93% progress in their construction stage and this year the two pending sections will be ready.
These are between Lisbon and Portugal and Portugal and Lebrija, in the department of Santander.
Via Cúcuta-Pamplona
There is also the Cúcuta-Pamplona megaproject, which involves interventions along 62.6 km and registers progress of 71%. This connection, which is located in the department of Norte de Santander, will be key to uniting it with its neighbor, Santander, thanks to investments of $3 billion.
In front of the road is the Unión Vial Río Pamplonita concession, whose sole shareholder is the subsidiary in Colombia of the Spanish multinational Sacyr.
Via Cambao-Manizales
Among the megaprojects that will be ready this year, according to ANI data, is the private initiative Cambao-Manizales.
Data from the infrastructure entity indicate that its level of execution is close to 80% and, during 2023, three key sections will be completed for its total completion. The corridor has total investments of $1.6 trillion, which allow interventions to be carried out along 256 km.
projects in cities
Bogotá: in the capital of the republic, investment in infrastructure is $48.2 billion, of which $26 billion will be allocated to the railway mode (first and second line of the metro, Regiotram de Occidente and Regiotram del Norte); $10 billion, to the social and citizen infrastructure; $6 billion, to the habitat sector; $4 billion for the green corridor and the overhead cables, and, finally, $2.2 billion will go to improving road access.
Medellín: the priority is to undertake the works of the 80 light rail whose total length of route is 13.25 km and its execution will require resources of $1.3 trillion.
Cali: with resources close to $650,000 million, progress is expected in the urban renewal of sixth avenue, the expansion of the road to the sea in the Terrón Colorado sector, and a definitive solution for the ring road.
Barranquilla: there the execution of works such as the Ecopark, the Tourist train, the Miramar Urban Forest, the Culture Factory, the recovery of Public Markets, as well as the optimization of the Caño de la Auyama stand out.