Mountain Highway System in Antioquia

Coming down the pike…

The Mountain Highway System in Antioquia is a significant highway infrastructure plan.  Portafolio is reporting, and as I have learned through sources in Medellin’s Alcaldia (City Hall), that the plans are advancing.

Specifically, the Colombian national electricity transmission utility company, Interconnection Electrica SA (ISA), is planning to fund much of the initial planning for the Mountain Highway System’s double-lane construction project. ISA has formed ISA Autopistas (ISA Highways) to operate independently with a budget of 5.6 billion pesos  (~$US2.5M) over 15 years.  ISA will fund 3.6 billion pesos (~$US1.6M), while the national government, the department government of Antioquia, and the Municipality of Medellin will fund the balance. The roads are set for the Antioquia region around Medellin, one of the most mountainous areas, from Urabá to El Tigre, from the Caucasus to the Caribbean coast, to Puerto Berrio and into the Coffee Zone.

The president of ISA, Luis Fernando Alarcon, issued a planning stage work schedule, that calls for initial planning contracts, concession planning, and roadways mapping. ISA’s intention is to achieve this work in 2010.  Bidding has not yet been announced.