"A Chinese-financed highway promises to ease Colombia’s road struggles" 6 April 2022

"We’ve always had a dirt road, and if they put a little bit of asphalt on it to make it better, we’re happy,” says Teófilo Lemos, manager of the Pisisí Port in Urabá, a region in the western fringes of Antioquia department. Lemos is among those delighted at the prospect of the Mar 2, a new highway that is part of the government’s “fourth generation” infrastructure programme aiming to improve road connectivity throughout the country. [...]

Funding for the Mar 2 project has also come from abroad, via a public-private partnership (PPP) with Japanese and Chinese banks, in what was believed to be the first PPP infrastructure deal in Latin America involving a Chinese sponsor, when it was signed in 2015. The concession also saw the China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) awarded the contract to build the road, alongside five domestic construction companies, as part of the Autopistas Urabá consortium. PPPs with Chinese entities have become an increasingly prevalent format for infrastructure investment in Colombia, and one that and may offer an effective mechanism for Colombia to realise future projects proposed under the 4G programme. [...]

A long-awaited project

Infrastructure projects the size of Mar 2 have frequently encountered criticism for their poor planning and execution, for their environmental impacts they generate, or as the communities living in the region see their territory invaded. [...]

Teófilo Lemos, the manager of the Pisisí Port, told Diálogo Chino he was happy with the new highway. “The works keep on going, and this road is a blessing,” he commented.

Mar 2 will not only improve road infrastructure, transport and logistics in Colombia: a better road also means more possibilities to strengthen tourism in the region. Hernán Holguín, secretary of government for the town of Uramita, also told Diálogo Chino of his satisfaction with the road, and its prospects for increasing development in his town: “Our municipality will now be two hours from Medellín [Antioquia’s capital], at the midpoint between the capital and Urabá. We are aligning our own work with that of these major works, so we are building a boardwalk to attract tourism, and warehouses for cocoa and lemon producers to store their products. We are also planning to build a service station where there will be hotels and restaurants.” [...]