A shortlist of six international teams has been selected for Bogotá’s planned $4.3bn metro.
Government agency Invest In Bogotá has now identified a number of infrastructure projects in the Colombian capital that will need to be completed before, alongside or shortly after the metro to support growth and movement across the city.
The majority of the schemes are public-private partnerships (PPP), and Invest In Bogotá notes that Colombia is the third most competitive country in terms of regulations to finance infrastructure works, according to the World Bank.
La Sabana Airport
Located in the municipality of Facatativá, 15km from Bogotá’s main El Dorado Airport, the planned La Sabana development will cover 1,980ha, with a 40,000 sq m passenger terminal.
A $3.2bn PPP project, the airport will help Bogotá cope with the increase in visitors to Colombia, which is expected to reach 70 million a year by 2041.
La Sabana will contain three runways and will be built across several phases, with the possibility of being expanded due to passenger demand.
Alo Sur
The 49km PPP road project will connect Bogotá to the southern Girardot district, reducing travel time by half an hour.
Alo Sur will repurpose a toll road already in use, and is expected to cost $397m. The development will contain cycle paths and 16km of pedestrian crossings.
Accesos Norte
The "North Access" project will expand the access road to the north of Bogotá to the city’s 7th avenue.
The 41km development will cost $472m, and includes construction of six Transmilenio stations for the local bus route and six pedestrian bridges.
Contracts for the project are expected to be signed in December 2019.
Transmilenio expansion
Currently at the design stage, the expansion of the current bus route on 68th Avenue will cost $833m of public money.
The corridor along 68th avenue will start on Autopista Sur and conclude at 7th avenue with 100th street.
The expansion along 17km of the route will add 21 stations, and is due to be completed before the Bogotá metro, where many of the stops will connect with metro stations.
A 28km Transmilenio route through Ciudad de Cali (City of Cali Avenue) will also be expanded, starting from the Soacha municipality south of Bogotá linking 170th street, the Americas portal, 26th Street and the Transmilenio connection in Suba, northwest of the city. Some 31 stations will be created, benefitting 2 million passengers.
Work is due to begin on both the projects in mid-2020.
Calle 13
This 11km project involves construction of the 13th street corridor, widening vehicle lanes, and building 19km of cycle paths.
Work on the $785m development is due to begin in February 2020.
Hospitals
As well as the transport schemes, three hospitals that will be used by a million residents have been awarded $336m in funding from Bogotá.
The projects are:
- Santa Clara Hospital, a $163m project with 336 beds which will cover 84,000 sq m
- The 32,200 sq m, 221 bed Usme Hospital, which will cost $93m
- Â Bosa Hospital, which will contain 215 beds, will cost $80m, and be 27,000 sq m.
All three hospitals are due to be operational in December 2022.
Image: Bogotá (GCR)
