The mayor of Bogotá, Carlos Fernando Galán, presented the La Nueva 13 megaproject and announced the opening of the bidding process for sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the new trunk of the TransMilenio system. The investment planned for these works and their supervision exceeds $2.4 billion.
“This is the general analysis of what the project will be: 11.62 kilometers in total the new Calle 13 will have. This corridor is essential for Bogotá because of what it means in terms of cargo. This will help us reduce the environmental impact that this corridor has. In public transportation, the goal is to meet a demand close to 200,000 passengers per day,” said Mayor Galán.
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The president highlighted that La Nueva Calle 13 will directly benefit more than 1.6 million people, improving connectivity between Bogotá and the west of the country, and prioritizing safe spaces for pedestrians and cyclists. “The New 13th Street will completely change Bogotá’s relationship with its surroundings: it will transform the entrance of cargo, public transportation and public space. It will be a strategic corridor for the city,” he stated.
The sections that are now out for tender go from Carrera 69F to the western limit of the Capital District, completing the connection with sections 1 and 2 that begin at the Puente Aranda intersection, where 13th Street, Las Américas Avenue and Carrera 50 Avenue converge.
The director of the Urban Development Institute (IDU), Orlando Molano, recalled that the project had faced difficulties in the previous administration, when several tenders were declared void. “This project was declared void three times because there were no bidders. When this administration arrived, we reviewed the specifications and found low prices and a non-compliant AIU. We adjusted the conditions, incorporated night shifts and more resources to guarantee its efficient and timely execution.”Molano explained.
A corridor of 11.6 kilometers and more than half a million square meters of public space
The New 13 is 11.62 kilometers long. It will have exclusive lanes for TransMilenio, eight lanes for mixed traffic, 13 single stationsa main station, 22.9 kilometers of cycle path and more than 510,000 square meters of public space, of which nearly 200,000 will be green areas.
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Implosion of bridges on 13th Street and Carrera 50, in Bogotá
Néstor Gómez / Portfolio
The project includes the construction of 20 pedestrian bridges and 10 vehicular bridges, including the three-level megastructure at the Puente Aranda intersection. This work will connect the four cardinal points more efficiently and quickly.
The megaproject will be developed in stages. It was initially conceived in five sections, of which four went out to tender in 2022. However, only sections 1 and 2 were awarded. Sections 3 and 4 were declared void in three different processes between 2022 and 2023, while section 5, corresponding to the yard-workshop, was not put out to tender.
In 2024, the Galán administration conducted a technical review of the failed processes and adjusted the structuring scheme. Sections 3 and 4 were subdivided into four new segments, from 3 to 6, the AIU was increased to reflect the real execution costs and included night work and a greater number of workers. In addition, the availability of the properties was ensured before the start of works.
Since July 2025, the IDU published the draft specifications for the bidding of construction contracts. The sections are expected to be awarded before the end of the year, with pre-construction stages in the first quarter of 2026 and the start of works in the second half of 2027. The total closure of construction is projected for 2030.
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Implosion of bridges on 13th Street and Carrera 50, in Bogotá
Néstor Gómez / Portfolio
Advances and characteristics by sections
The construction of La Nueva 13 began with the controlled demolition, due to implosion, of the old Puente Aranda bridges. It was the first time that a road infrastructure of this type was imploded in Bogotá. The procedure, corresponding to section 1, was carried out after securing all the required properties, which will allow levels 2 and 3 of the new structure to be delivered in 2027 and that section to be completed in 2028.
Section 1, located at the Puente Aranda intersection, includes a first-level roundabout for mixed traffic with three lanes and 200 meters in diameter; a second level roundabout exclusively for TransMilenio with 100 meters in diameter and two lanes; and a third level with two mixed bridges with three lanes each, which will connect Las Américas Avenue in both directions. In addition, it will include three semi-pedestrian cycle paths, two kilometers of cycle path and more than 100,000 square meters of public space, with an investment of more than $506,000 million.
Section 2, between streets 55 and 69F, has a length of 2.67 kilometers, will have four stations, five pedestrian bridges and two vehicular bridges, and will require an investment of more than $720,000 million.
Section 3, with a length of 1.65 kilometers, will go from Carrera 69F to Ciudad de Cali Avenue, with an estimated cost of $537,000 million. It will include two stations, three pedestrian bridges and a vehicular bridge.
Section 4, between Ciudad de Cali Avenue and Carrera 100, will have 2.23 kilometers, three stations, four pedestrian bridges, a vehicular bridge and the construction of the southeastern connecting ear between Ciudad de Cali Avenue and Fontibón Avenue. Its value amounts to $629,000 million.
Section 5 will extend to Carrera 126, with an investment of $662,000 million. It will have four stations, five pedestrian bridges and a vehicular bridge over 2.53 kilometers.
Section 6 will reach the limit of the Capital District. It will have 1.42 kilometers, a head station – the starting and ending point of the trunk routes -, three pedestrian bridges and a vehicular bridge, with an investment of $586,000 million.
Section 7 corresponds to the yard-workshop for the electric fleet, currently under technical structuring, with a planned investment of $220,000 million.
PAULA GALEANO BALAGUERA
Portfolio Journalist
