The new wave of projects in the country are focused on railways, an objective that in the eyes of Alberto Mariño, president of Proindesa, the Infrastructure holding company of Grupo Aval, is not so clear. Therefore, in an interview with Portafolio, the manager first proposed finishing connecting the roads that are under construction. Likewise, they announced that they will refinance two projects this year and are looking at some road projects that the Government will put out to tender.
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How are the projects under your charge progressing?
We are in a transition stage looking for a way to finish construction on a couple of projects so we can move to full operation. For example, we want to resolve geological problems in Pacífico 1, which were not foreseen. In the case of Covioriente, the inconveniences are opposition from the communities that have prevented us from completing some functional units. Unfortunately, we have not had an authority to impose itself and prevent communities from invading the corridor and opposing it with de facto roads.
And how are the other runners doing?
In Bogotá-Villavicencio we finished the construction on time. We have fully fulfilled our contract, but with the great difficulty of the critical points. Unfortunately, the State has not provided the resources to resolve these points, nor has it contracted through Invías to resolve them.
That is a permanent impact on the road. Addressing any unforeseen event is leading us to assume higher operation and maintenance costs, which affects cash flows and the return on investment. If this is not resolved soon, the Bogotá-Villavicencio highway will have an even more critical situation, since it is supporting all the traffic from the Cusiana transversal and the Sisga transversal, which are completely closed. It is urgent that the government make important decisions and seek the resources that the highway needs.
With more hotspots, how much have your maintenance costs increased?
What I can say is that we have had to reinforce the people in maintenance, the collapse extraction activities, expand the availability of personnel to 24 hours a day, we have had to operate the tunnels in a bidirectional manner, all this implies greater consumption of energy due to ventilation issues, greater wear and tear on equipment. The highway is operating in a way that it was not designed or anticipated, as a result of all the other road closures.
To solve one of the most critical points is the new viaduct, which you say you are unaware of, however, the Government assures that you knew about the route. Could they incorporate it into the contract?
It isn’t true. We do not have the design plans for the kilometer 58 viaduct. Additionally, the work that was originally tendered by Invías was substantially modified during construction. The Coviandina concessionaire does not have the design documents signed by the people responsible for that design nor does it have the documents of the auditor who approved that design.
The manager who said that, with all due respect, is not saying what really happened. That viaduct was never part of the Coviandina concession and today we do not know the designs or the layout, nothing that allows us to foresee what the receipt of that infrastructure could be like.
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Alberto Mariño, president of Proindesa, Infrastructure holding company of Grupo Aval.
Portfolio
But will they review the possibility when it is in the hands of the ANI?
We have asked that you deliver the design documents duly signed and approved, we need it. Subsequently, they will have to deliver us the modifications that these designs have undergone with their due justifications and approvals. We also require the final plans for the construction of that viaduct to be able to see the result and with that information, together with all the results of the tests, our specialists will be able to analyze the situation of the viaduct.
Based on that, when the ANI officially requests it, the concessionaire will be able to express itself on the operating conditions of the viaduct and the risks to be assumed.
Proindesa also has the Mulaló – Loboguerrero project, which is still in the pre-construction stage. How can it move forward?
It is essential that the Government resolve the situation. We have been there for 10 years. The works are being delayed. We are asking either that it be liquidated or that the balance of the contract to execute the works be restored, but that there be a definition, whether it is progress or liquidation.
The road is going to be built 10 years later than planned and the costs are very different, no one could foresee that. You have to adjust them and continue. But you have to take a definition. This can’t go on like this.
In our concept, with the resources that exist today, the contract can be settled if an agreement is reached with the concessionaire and the Government would have resources to build the project through public works. If the intention is for the concessionaire to build it, we are in the best position to do so, but we must recognize that the contract has an economic imbalance. You cannot tell a builder I am going to pay for the work at prices from 10 years ago.
Do you plan to refinance any projects?
Yes. This year we hope to refinance a couple of long-term projects. We are searching.
What challenges do you see in the infrastructure sector?
The fundamental thing is to solve all the problems. In this we need the decisive participation of the National Infrastructure Agency so that the problems that the different concessions have are resolved in the shortest possible time and do not cause the concessionaires to have to go to court or other alternative methods of conflict resolution, which The only thing they do is increase the cost of the solution for both the concessionaire and the Government. That is fundamental.
We must also conclude the current projects and their union. The structuring did not take into account simple connections between these projects and it must be done. For example, Pacífico 1 did not have the Primavera intersection planned, which is essential so that traffic does not have a bottleneck. Another is Briceño. It cannot be possible that if you come from Sopó or Tunja, there is not an intersection that allows you to take Briseño, Tunja or Sogamoso.
Infrastructure development plans must also be made for 20 or 30 years and make them mandatory for governments. Each Government in its development plan modifies the infrastructure plan and ends up abandoning or giving more relevance to those it wants.
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Viaduct at km 58 of the Vía al Llano
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Do you have more projects in your sights?
We will undoubtedly look at the conditions. Our corporate purpose is to develop infrastructure projects, whether private initiative or public initiative.
Any iron ones?
With the respect that the Government deserves, I don’t see it so clearly. Strong development requires $60 billion. I think we must first finish the road projects, because now we are going to compete for the same load with the roads in which we have invested large sums of money. Frankly, I’m not very optimistic about the issue.
PAULA GALEANO BALAGUERA
Portfolio Journalist
