Bogotá is under construction and will continue to be so until 2026 and 2028, in the meantime the main projects of the city will be underway. However, the time could be extended since in Most of the work fronts are behind schedule. For this reason, the Mayor’s Office, together with the Urban District Institute (IDU), is working with the consortia to expedite the contracts.
Due to the above, Portfolio will make a four-part special on the progress of the work on these corridors, In this issue, the reasons for the delays and what has happened with these contracts will be analyzed. In this first installment, the protagonist will be the Transmilenio on Avenida 68.
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This project, which has seven contracts covering the corridor from the Autopista Sur to Avenida Suba, and includes roads such as Avenida Esperanza, Calle 13, Calle 26 and Calle 72, has made considerable progress, but is experiencing delays on all fronts of the work.
The first group goes along 68th Avenue from the South Highway to 18th Street South, that is, it covers 2.83 kilometers, It is 45% complete on schedule, less than two years after its delivery, despite having started in February 2021.
Currently, although progress is being made on the foundations of the new Venice bridge on the eastern side, there are delays in the execution of maneuvers, in addition to delays in the submission of budgets by public service companies and a lack of personnel on the part of the contractor.
The company will also have to complete the construction of three TransMilenio stations with 11 ticket offices and a cycle parking lot, create 63,931 square meters of public space, 23,604 square meters of green areas and a 1.83 kilometer cycle route.
In group two, which goes from Calle 18 Sur to Avenida las Américas (1.78 kilometers) and includes the construction to adapt the Avenida Congreso Eucarístico (Carrera 68) from Carrera 9 to the Autopista Sur and complementary works to the TransMilenio system, it has a progress of 58%, with the same dates as the previous one. The delays are linked to land deliveries and execution of Vanti maneuvers, and current progress is on the 3rd Street bridge, which is 99% complete.
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TransMilenio Bridge 68th Avenue with 26th Street
Courtesy of Conconcreto
This project also includes the construction of three TransMilenio stations, with 11 ticket offices and three bicycle parking spaces, 43,083 cubic meters of public space, 21,066 cubic meters of green areas, 1.23 kilometers of bicycle path, a new vehicular bridge and four pedestrian bridges.
The next section (from Las Américas to Calle 13, that is, 1.04 kilometers) includes the construction to adapt the Avenida Congreso Eucarístico (Carrera 68) from Carrera 9 to the Autopista Sur to the TransMilenio system, as well as complementary works. Currently, the delivery of eight plots is pending and progress is slower due to lack of personnel; however, it is 43% on schedule.
Progress has yet to be made on the location of a TransMilenio station, four ticket offices, a bicycle parking lot, 23,911 cubic meters of public space, 7,229 of public space, 0.84 kilometers of bicycle path, a pedestrian bridge and an underpass.
For its part, group four that goes from Calle 13 to Avenida Esperanza (1.96 kilometers) also began in February 2021, but must be completed by October 2025, that is, just a little over a year, however, to date It is barely 50% complete, due to difficulties in executing maneuvers and the railway corridor. The most advanced work is the construction of the cycle route (76%).
The next group, which includes Avenida Esperanza to Calle 46, has the best progress (89%), however, it is doubtful whether it can be delivered on time, since it would only have one month left to finish (September). According to the IDU, The delays have been in harmonization with group sixregarding the construction of infrastructure for public service companies (ENEL and ETB), on the western side between 26th Street and 46th Street.
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Transmilenio works on 68th Avenue.
On the other hand, unit six, which runs from 46th Street to 66th Street, is one of the entity’s most complicated contracts. They are only 36% complete and have two years to go.
Because of this, They are carrying out two sanctioning processes for the alleged non-compliance of the contractorThe first resulted in a fine of $870 million on April 1 for being more than 5% behind in the detailed work plan; this is in the probationary stage prior to issuing the administrative act that resolves the appeals presented by the contractor.
The second process seeks to establish whether the legal requirements are met to declare the contract void, which, in the event of a ruling, could lead to the termination of the contract and make the penalty clause effective for a value of up to $34.455 billion.
Finally, group seven, which completes this section along the entire Calle 100 and includes Calle 66 to Carrera 65, has a progress of 53% and the possibility of completing works by October 2026. Its last important milestone was the delivery of the BRT bridge in the Floresta Shopping Center sector in December and also has a progress of 42% in the mixed lane and 61% in the BRT lane (public transport). The delays they have, if any, are due to procedures with third parties and public service companies.
Paula Galeano Balaguera
Portfolio Journalist
