By Gianmarco Delgado.The foundations of new transport infrastructure in Peru will be laid in 2025, said Minister of Transport and Communications, Raul Perez Reyes, in an interview with Official Gazette El Peruano, and highlights some of the main achievements reached during this 2024, as well as the launch of large infrastructure works and the projections for next year.
Minister, what do you consider to be the most important results achieved at the end of this 2024?
First of all, we have achieved, through Provías Descentralizado (a minister body to build roads and bridges), that more than 700 bridges with smaller spans can be financed. We are talking about bridges that are less than 25 meters wide and this is important because they are projects that have been developed by local governments, together with us.
We have prioritized them and that has allowed the Minister of Economy and Finance (MEF) to provide resources for these projects.
Then there is the Huallaga bridge, the Huancar bridge and important road infrastructure. We have practically finished the Canta-Huayllay highway. It is a very important road that connects the central mountain range with Lima.
Likewise, we have launched other projects such as the Tarata bridge, which was quite a challenge. Not only was it awarded, but progress is also being made.
In addition, we have closed the issue of the addendum to transfer to the French Project Management Office (PMO) so that they can manage everything regarding the procurement and construction of the Santa Rosa bridge in the case of the Jorge Chávez airport.
Now that you mention emblematic infrastructure, what is your assessment of this? The Chancay port has already started operating.
The emblematic port of Chancay is an important infrastructure project. We have worked hard within the regulatory framework to ensure the investment they have made in efficient conditions. The Marcona port initiative was also awarded by ProInversión (Private Investment Promotion Agency).
We are one month away from the inauguration of the equally important new Jorge Chávez airport. What are your sector's expectations?
The airport is already almost 99 per cent complete for the construction works. It is an emblematic project that will allow our current international airport capacity to almost double.
Every day, 17,000 workers enter this construction site, that is, people who work directly at the airport. Now, let's think about the number of people who prepare their lunch, breakfast and transport them. All this activity also generates indirect employment. So, the calculation that is being made is that around 80,000 people have a related work activity.
The new airport will allow more people to enter the air terminal and there will be more flights. More services will be demanded and all of this will generate a virtuous circle where the airport grows, airport activity grows, direct employment grows and indirect employment increases.
What are the projections for the next five years with the new Jorge Chávez?
The calculation is that when the airport is fully deployed and growing over the next 4 or 5 years it can generate around 120,000 direct and indirect jobs. That is a significant impact.
This is a project that represents nearly 2 billion dollars of investment in this first stage. In addition, the current airport has capacity for 15 million passengers.
The new air terminal starts with capacity for 30 million people and in one year it will be able to serve 40 million, it even has the capacity to grow to 60 million if demand so requires.
Wherever you look at it, it is a great improvement in the conditions of infrastructure, but also in service. That is why this new airport is very important, because it will give us competitiveness in terms of tourism, trade, and foreign trade operations from the airport.
So Peru is becoming not only a reference point for airports, but also in other sectors such as exports?
It is true that most of our export cargo leaves through ports. Almost 95.5 per cent of Peruvian exports leave the country through the ports, but there is cargo that is exported through airports, which although it does not have as much weight, has a great economic value. It is estimated that almost 25 per cent of our exports in value go through airplanes, mainly from the International Lima airport. This is an important issue and will undoubtedly add value to Lima and Peru, but it is also an important point of reference for the airport that is coming.
We understand that it would be the Chinchero airport, which is under construction. What progress has been achieved?
It is also a project that we have unblocked, since it was stuck for a while. We are now dealing with the whole issue of recovering the activity of the project. We are now going to launch a tender for the runway and the control tower. The terminal is still in charge of the construction company, so I think we are making good progress.
The idea is that Chinchero is that by the end of 2026 its infrastructure is ready, so if possible, it is operating by 2026 or early 2027.
What other important works do you think the Ministry of Transport and Communications is keeping in the running?
These are some of the projects that are being developed. It is also important that this year we launched the call for the Government to Government Agreement (G2G) of Line 3 and Line 4 of the Lima Metro.
In addition to that, we have already launched the G2G call for the Lima-Ica Train and we have unblocked the entire process associated with the construction of the Central Station and the San Marcos Station of Line 2.
Plans to 2025
Towards 2025, the head of the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) aims to prioritize some megaprojects that will have a considerable impact on closing infrastructure gaps.
Among them are the New Central Highway, the Peripheral Ring Road, the Lima-Ica and Lima-Barranca trains, Line 3 and Line 4 of the Lima Metro.
“There are many projects that we are beginning to lead in some cases and in others accompanying local or regional governments,” he said.
He commented on the projects that are being worked on in Lima with the municipality, which are very important plans for improving urban transport.
“I think we have a very challenging job for 2025, but it will undoubtedly allow us to lay the foundations for a new transport infrastructure,” he highlighted.
“In the case of communications, we want to achieve a level of connectivity in schools and health centers that will allow us to have world-class educational and health indicators,” he affirmed.
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Published: 12/24/2024