After ensuring that Cali is in a very complex and abandoned situation, Mayor Alejandro Eder, during his speech at the Infrastructure Congress, assured that from January 2, the city will be organized, painting the bridges, recovering the parks and a series of projects to move it forward.
“The projects we are going to focus on will be recovering the entrances to Cali and the main arteries such as Calle 5.
We are going to start fixing the Cali tracks, there are more than a thousand kilometers that are finished and with the budget situation that they leave us we think that we can recover at least 300 kilometers and their platforms.
In some cases, with good management of Emcali, which we are going to do head-on and transparently, we are going to start the entire aqueduct and sewage system and that will allow us to recover roads, especially in the center of Cali,” he assured.
Other projects
The elected mayor explained that there is a project to recover the center of the city of Cali that goes from San Antonio, through Fifth Street and up to 26th between Carrera Primera and Carrera 15.
For that there are two projects, the collapse from Carrera 1 when one takes Fifth would enter a tunnel that would exit through Carrera 10 for a large pedestrian boulevard there and connect the city center.
In that importance that he hopes to give to urban renewal projects, he made reference to the new prosecutor’s bunker and that the so-called “pot” of Cali will no longer remain there.
Likewise, he alluded to other internal projects, such as expanding Cañasgordas Avenue, the southern entrance to the city and the extension of Ciudad de Cali Avenue and Los Cerros Avenue, which passes behind the battalion, as well as leaving feasibility of the part that passes behind the Country Club, to help unclog the city.
“It is important to put the guards out to work to restore order on the city’s roads and I ask for support in this” said Eder.
Security
When talking about security, the Mayor-elect explained: “I asked the councilors to request 120 billion pesos for next year, hopefully 150 billion.
Additionally, I met in London with security experts, at the United States Embassy asking for support and with General Salamanca and the senior police officers expressing that they can count on my support within the framework of the law, respecting human rights and improving relations with the community.
There are several initiatives to recover the security of the people of Cali and working to ensure that we no longer have fear in Cali.”
Eder spoke of joint work with the Government of the Valley, which includes the entrance to the highway to the sea towards kilometer 18.
Commuter train
For the elected mayor, it is very important to move forward with the commuter train that has been in the works for 8 years and is in feasibility studies with French and English assistance to go out to tender in July.
“We are going to build it, it is going to be our priority, we are going to work on it with European technologies, so that it is built in Cali and Valle del Cauca, attracting the necessary investments and industries so that we can generate an economic transformation of the city.”
Additionally, he explained that “the train is a project that we put out to tender in July, the first section of construction would take between 4 and 6 years, but we also want to prepare the feasibility studies for the other two sections Cali – Yumbo and Cali – Palmira Airport. We are going to have a first-class team with the Government to carry out this project and ensure that we do it in the appropriate times,” he pointed out.
The train is not simply transportation between Jamundí and Cali, but it is a transformative project for the region that just by building the first section will generate ten thousand jobs and new industries because what is sought is that the trains used in Cali are produced in Cali because these industries can be installed in the city and generate a railway industry.
City Region
The elected mayor said that Cali has to behave like a city region again.
“There are projects that have not been carried out, which is finishing the Mulalo – Loboguerrero road, an issue that affects us all.
We have to move forward with the Buenaventura dredging because maritime traffic is going to Guayaquil and Panama.
The tender for the Cali airport has been listed for three years and has not been awarded, but it must remain in good hands, either with the current operators or an open tender is carried out, but Cali deserves to have a world-class airport, we have the better conditions and that will benefit not only Cali but the entire subregion,” he emphasized.
Debt
Eder said it will be necessary to refinance the debt by cutting and organizing, as well as working with the private sector.
“I will be a pro-business mayor, that means that we are going to make a gigantic effort, if necessary with the IDB or the CAF for transparent selection processes, so that everyone can bid in peace. A bet that goes to all small, medium and large companies, we are not going to attack the private sector, the rules and the PPPs that we propose will be respected.”
Finally, Eder called on CCI to carry out the Orinoquia Pacific Connection, one of the most ambitious projects that Colombia has, it is a tunnel that enters between Florida and Pradera and exits on the other side in Colombia, Huila, a railway tunnel that would allow reach Bogotá in three or 4 hours and since it is railway it could connect the eastern plains to Buenaventura, being a priority for the region.