Construction of a 4.5km tunnel is being planned as part of a four-lane US$140M 121km highway between the Colombian capital Bogota and Girardot in the Cundinamarca district proposed by the country’s transport ministry. Transport officials plan to invite contractors to bid in the next three months for a concession to build and maintain the highway. The ministry plans to award the franchise by the end of this year ready for construction to start in 2004. The Colombian government is likely to provide 15% of the cost of the project with the balance coming from aid agencies and the successful concessionnaire. The highway will also connect with a 96km road linking Bogota to Villavicencio.
