Zipaquira- Palenque (Bucaramanga) highway

Concluded

The Colombian consortium Union Temporal Concesion Vial Los Comuneros signed with the Colombian government a 10 year concession for the repair and operation of highway connecting Zipaquira to the Palenque bridge (by way of Bucaramanga) in December 2001. The consortium won the contract by presenting the lowest income from tolls - US$33.5 million. The concession is valid for a minimum six years and can be extended until the concessionaire recoups the US$33.5 million from tolls. The project reached financial closure in August 2002. The concession was expected to expired in July 2008. The 370 kilometer highway concession is the first part of the total upgrade fo the Zipaquira-Bucaramanga-Ye de Cienaga highway. This highway is expected to link Botota with the Carribean coast of Colombia. The remaining sections of the Bucaramanga-Ye de Cienaga project were expected to be offered in separate concessions. The consortium comprises Consorcio Vial de Cargagena SA, Alvarez y Collins SA, and Valores y Contratos SA. The estimated project cost was US$10.8 million of which the government contributed with around 10%. It was planned to be concessioned again in 2013. Draft tender documents are already available in July 2013: http://www.ani.gov.co/proceso-de-contratacion/contrato-de-concesion-app-corredor-zipaquira-bucaramanga-palenque-4020 http://www.inco.gov.co/concesiones/filtros/ficharesumen/frm_ficha_resumen.asp?concesion=221