Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has prioritized railway projects, but the 5G concessions program also includes important highway initiatives. The 5G infrastructure program is an extension of the 4G initiative, adding more highways, airports, railways, and river navigation projects. The infrastructure agency ANI provides information on three main 5G highway projects.
The first project is the Pasto-Popayán highway, which costs 12.6tn pesos (US$2.83bn) and will run for 101km between El Estanquillo and Popayán and 169 km between Pasto and El Estanquillo. The concession term for this project is 30 years. The road will benefit the municipalities of Pasto, Chachagüi, Taminango, Mercaderes, Patía, La Sierra, Rosas, Sotará, El Tambo, Timbío, and Popayán by reducing travel times between the center of the country and the south.
The second project is the Villeta-Guaduas highway, which costs 3.5tn pesos and is 82km long. The concession term for this project is 29 years. The road will benefit the municipalities of Villeta, Quebradanegra, Guaduas, Caparrapí, and Puerto Salgar. The work includes the construction of 23 bridges and eight tunnels, 18km of dual carriageway, and the rehabilitation of 64km of the existing route. The estimated opex is 2.8tn pesos.
The third project is the Puerto Gaitán-Maní-Sogamoso highway, which costs 750bn pesos and is 240km long. The concession term for this project is 29 years. The road will benefit the municipalities of Sogamoso, El Crucero, Pajarito, Aguazul, Puerto Gaitán, and Maní. The works include the construction of two bridges, the rehabilitation of 174km of existing road, and improvements to another 66km. The road will connect with 4G highways in the east and north of the country, as well as with the 5G Magdalena trunk roads 1 and 2 through the Bucaramanga-Pamplona and Bucaramanga-Barranca-Yondó highways.
The Colombian government aims to improve connectivity and competitiveness through infrastructure investment and public-private partnerships (PPPs). The ANI has launched feasibility studies for transport infrastructure projects and opened tenders for 5G concessions. The progress of the 5G program is expected to attract private investment and insurance industries. According to reports by Fitch Solutions and DANE, the 5G concessions program will boost the economy and logistics by facilitating the rehabilitation and maintenance of road projects.