Colombia: Ruta del Sol
This series showcases how the World Bank Group supports the development and implementation of public-private partnerships. This support comes in the form of public sector loans, private sector finance, sector and transaction advice, guarantees, and output-based aid.
Good highway infrastructure is essential to economic develop-ment. The Colombian gov- ernment backed this concept in July 2010 when it awarded the concession of the third and final section for the construction and expansion of the $2.6 billion Ruta del Sol highway. This 1,071 kilometer road connects the capital, Bogotá, with other large urban areas of the country’s interior and Caribbean coast. When completed, Ruta del Sol will help foster the country’s competitiveness in these sectors and improve road and travel conditions for pas- sengers and goods.
Ruta del Sol was initially conceived by the government as a single project. It was later divided into three concessions to adapt to market conditions, to ease its construction and financing, and to mitigate single-operator risk. The winner of Sector 1 will be responsible for building a new 78-kilometer double carriageway road in mountainous terrain and for maintaining it for seven years. The winners of Sectors 2 and 3 will undertake the rehabilita- tion, expansion to double carriageway, maintenance and operation of 528 and 465 kilome- ters of existing roads, respectively, for up to 25 years. The project received Project Finance International’s Transport Deal of the Year award for the Americas for 2011.
