r-~~~~~~~( * a t5~~~~C I CD I II I (D I C3~~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ 0z |8 i Sei ! !ig oA3Ato ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~( c~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ 0 503~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~( 8~~~~~~~~~~~~~~L TECHNICAL REPORT - COLOIJBIAN HIGITAY PROJECT Scope ofr thisRer v V 1. This report discusses the techrical aspects of the Colombian hh-i way project which the Bank has been requested to assist in financing. It is blasedA on; (a) th 4L Ie RIDeoJrt of 0. L4.Ie Gen eral 'Suvey 1 Q..ission headd by I-r. T r re; k L) I frr .±iiOratli-Lon subrLi-tLted uLjy U12e klL."Ister ofQIL ubj..L UJoL * t L4L !lOL U ~I - OJ. Uy t i it-)(JL VI -j ~U U4II. (U U Li ±ty u LA.U IIL)ono Ld JiJ VU.JOj ment Committee to the National Government; (d) discussions of the Burland MI'ission with various Colombian Government officials and transport experts, including Mr. Frederick "r. Gill, Transport Advisor to the Economic Development Committee, and representatives of the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads stationed in Colombia; and (e) discussions with tw-o American contracting firms engaged in road construction in Colombia. 2. In this report the exchange rate used is 1.95 Colombian pesos equals 1 U.S. dollar. Loan Request 3. The Government of Colombia, through its Minister of Public 7Uorks, submitted a request for a loan of "'6.5 million, or the equivalent in other currencies, for (a) the purchase abroad of construction equipment and oF certain construction materials, and (b) payment for the services of engineers and contractors for a highway rehabilitation project. This project w,as estimated to cost a total of approximately 90 million pesos (;,L5.1 million) over a period of three years and wfas designed to provide Colombia with 3,061 Km of reconditioned all-weather trunk highways. The Government oi Colombia would be the borrowrer and the loan wvould be for 10 years rrith amortization payments beginning approximately 3 years after the effective date. Importance of Highwrays in Colombia 4. Highways carry a greater volume of traffic than any other form o2 transport in Colombia. The table belowv showvs the amounts of traffic handled by each means of transport in Colombia and the relative position occupied by highways. - 2 - Table I Estimated Total Freight Volume in 19h7-Al Total Freight Ton-Kilometers Percent (millions) of Total Railvrays 58h.o 32.5 Inland waterviays* 511.5 26.5 Tstal 1,~~~~~~79L.5£ 100.0 i * Includes 51. 3 million ton-kilometers for coastil-Aise traffic. Adjusted to reflect differences in air and surface kilo- metrage for the p-urpose of comiiparabiliy-. 5. Tnereasors for the great importance of highwiays in Colombia according to the General Survey Mission were: "First, the highwnfay system, even in its present stat1e, reaches many hunureds of communities that are not accessible by other means. Second, it is cheaper and easier to construct highw(rays than railroads through the typical Colombian terrain because investments in high- ways are reasonably flexible and can be adjusted to lower volumes of traffic. They are thus more suitabie for reaching undeveloped markets and sources of supply. Third, highway transportation has been able to give faster service tnan the railroads, especially on short hauls which account for a major share of Colombian transport volume." At present, major traffic flo-w..s in Colombia generally use a combination of at least twto of the three means of surface Iransport as no single type of transport provides a dependable through service betvreen the coastal area and the more important interior cities (See Map 1). The capacity of the railroads is limited because of narrow gauges, steep grades, and sharp curves imposed by the rugged terrain of the country. Although the Magdalena River is a major and essentia artery of commerce, it provides service to only limited areas and the serv- ice varies with the seasonal flows. Existing Highway Network 6. At present there are about 20,300 kilometers (12,586 miles) of roads in Colombia, 12,000 Km of which are national highvrays and 8,300 Km depart- mental roads. Approximately 800 Km or 4% of the total are surfaced with 2;/ From Report of General Survey 'iission (Currie Report). - 3 - conerete or bituminous macadam. The remainder of the national highways and the most important departmental roads are surfaced with so-called "watr+er boulnd macadaml', nsual1 loeal crushed rock with a filling of fine material consolidated by weather and traffic. Some of the more important hiyhl,mrry ha.rea * ,ATlith nf 9 meters (Q_9= feet) winth a surfacing 6 meters wide. Most of the roads, however, are through mountainous country vrhere the widths average about 6 or 7 meters, the curves are sharp and +he grades are often excessively steep. Most of the highwrays have been built 4,_ 4-1-_ 1 -+ oc -2E+ " ,m-+h ; iiA+e +^^oeI n l 4+.sex+l finni^I l resources. The over-all highway achievement, however, has been impressive in. view of he great difficulties of constructio and maintenan.ce The foundation for a good road system has been laid, although there are some gaps in the . nevvro nd , beause of lack of adeate 4 . n^noe1, mary kilometers of the existing roads are in need of extensive repairs or re- l-.,-. 1 4.4-4 C.4 - .,.4,A 4-,. 4 - - - 0-~, Lhiab-ilitP&aVtion. Some sectiD-ons s-hov41d 'dbe reconstructed, VW, 4proAve f5A.-W or alignment and many bridges are inadequate for the present day traffic and .must le repl'aced. x cssive AAair,LU tJhe pVas yea rs have s peeded t h e VA deterioration of the roads which were inadequately maintained and, as a result, existing transportation by highways, already seriously handi- capped, may reach a critical state unless prompt action is taken to im- prove the .minain tbraffic routs. Conclusions pi the GeneraL Survey Mission on Highways 7. Colombia nahighway system was thorougnly studied Dy the General Survey Mission (Currie Mkission). Its principal conclusions as to opera- tional improvements were: "Mhe present unsatisfactory standards of highway maintenance are less the result of inadequate appropriations than of uneconomic adminis- tration of the funds available, The average National Government allowance of 1,000 pesos per kilometer per year for maintenance and paving, which was approximately provided in the 1950 budget, should be sufficient if properly used, especially since it is supplemented by substantial depart- mental expenditures." "Greater use of mechanical road equipment is recommended. The equipment now in use should be concentrated in fewer larger pools to permit better supervision and maintenance and more flexible use. Budget allocations for purchase of highway machinery and parts should be larger than in past years; the 1950 figure is more adequate, however, and wve recommend that this level be maintained for somie years to come," "Unsatisfactory highway conditions have contributed greatly to the excessively high cost of truck operations. IMaintenance and accident costs are heavy and the life of.equipment is short; a large part of every truck fleet is always laid up. As a result of these hazards, light equip-- ment and low speeds are generally used and reduce the efficiency of opera-- tions. The wide diversity 9f truck types in use and the foreign exchange restrictions of the past few years have made it difficult to maintain adequate inventories of spare parts and have increased maintenance costs and delays. Te believe it should be possible, by improving the quality of the maior hiphwa,vs and using more uniform fleets of higher capacity trucks, to reduce truck operating costs by at least 50 percent." The Committee for Economic Development 8. Follc,nving the publication of the report of the General Survey . issino., the! Gore.r.-me-. -_ G^omi appor.te rII -on-p-tisn -_n Development Committee of outstanding Colombian citizens to rev-ielr rhe %J7 i 4>O:lt recosWM4endaCtJAA* tat +he* same +4m , 4+ Aernge a ne technicians to assist the Committee in formulating programs of devc.ip- .er an o4 ,4-sA-u,dy , -ays and ,m,.ean.s of ., -4mprovi4ng ta r sri sys ems A1I1 .A ~LL UJ~ uLuu vy 0 4 ~ J L.LLuyJ VA.r UJ1 t.. .a of the nation. M,r. Frederick l7T* Gill, an American Transportation C'nsul- l n _ -fi 4* _ . 4_ 4 ^f _.t A -A l _ , _U*sr . .,. - - of the urgency of highway improvements, the Committee early in December 195'J0UUUU.LmAtLL cU an il eme.-eL.y Lig,j,-a pogrJ. J* finl ^ '--44- - 4 -~ * - * _1 -- S.LILAnIU%zkt:-U. oLI the HiVra-y Depa,tme.ti _P n -__.4- P 4 7. me ioiJ;:nlcuu ±r ruug ann Ez l,iu -1 l c1-dv fi U.1v4 Wl UlleVi UUvcz U1L dl IU l±JU U the General Survey Mission, studied the administrative organization of the lr~ n - __- 3 -- -…- , t IIJ.ani6try. of 0± UU.L.L 'ors andU IUotrLLWiIC a reorgrLaia L V.. o Af ElJ gI vJd.y Department so that it could efficiently administer a comprehensive highway con8truction program and carry a better maintenance in the future. The recommendations were accepted by the I-linister and the reorganization vwas completed early in 1951. In addition a number of young Colombian Engineers will be sent to the United States for training under the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads. Programs Considered 10. The Minister of Public Works personally presented for consideration of the Bank a document outlining and discussing in some detail several high- way programs, all with the same objective, namely, providing Colombia with a system of dependable trunk highways. Included in the document vwere the folloiang programs$ Table II Kilometers of Kilometers of Total Estimated Cost Program of New Construction Improvement Km MTillions Pesos Currie Hission 593 0 593 36.61' Economic Development Committee (lst step) 155 2,906 3.061 90.1 Ministry Qf Public lgve plrkcts flyio equipm is a *42.6 if general pool of construction equipment is added. - q - 11. The Rplnernl Suirvey Mission's program was a general pnln for the future, giving priority, as an initial step toward a continuous highway system, to the construction of a nuimhbe of relativelr short+. nepw eoons of road to close gaps in existing trunkline highways. At the time the Survey ahission umade its4 + t e+A ^fi t.h.e ol nsarnl4 1,-M st e+m nlot+. +vro years ago, the existing roads had not deteriorated to the critical state ; r whic- +thy <-e now; i 4, the ,n ,.e nan±hl t^ -l ha+tn+ 4r----rnvel maintenance could bring the roads back to a satisfactory condition. rCon 4-4-eA lack of adequate ma-tenanlce and unusua rains,, hio-ver, caue; kJIL4UU.U cIIfl X. .uu .LUA "M.J.I u wi~k U1~aj.± ~ L'vv~ V " , aJ se an increasingly rapid deterioration with the result that now reconstruct:Lon 0f UIUOSv 0f u.I iignxfays w-ill be re~quired,u Evn2Jie the uio±-e pvugrvffis nciude recQnstruction of existing highways in addition to new constniction- they cover the essentiai portions of the same routes selected by the C7--rie Mission as the main trunkline highways of the country. 12. The Economic Development Committee in setting forth its program concluded: "The country needs to make its main trunk roads practicable at any season as soon as possible; this endeavor requires the setting up of an intensive program of maintenance, reconstruction and buildlng of new roads." 13. Its programV/is designed to be completed in 5 years and is divided1 into two steps (see Map 2). The first step, set forth in Table II, is in the nature of an emergency program to be completed in 3 years and is directed chiefly toward the restoration of deteriorated trunk roads, and toward the construction of a few connecting linkcs vwhere necessary to provide a continu- ous system of highways. The first step envisages the improvement of 3,061 Km of highways and vill cost about 90.1 million pesos. The second step, to be completed in a further period of two years, would include 2,200 Km of highwNays and is estimated to cost 59 million pesos. The Committeets total program, therefore, includes 5,261 Km of highways and would cost about VL9.1 million pesos. Only the first step was presented for consideration by the Bank at the present time. 14. The program of the Ministry of Public w-orks contains almost 5 times more new construction than the first step of the Committeets program and includes some new construction not included in the General Survey M.1ission's program. In addition, the Government's program includes 1.204 Km more re- construction and repair w;ork than the Committeels first step, but it is scheduled tio be completed in h years as compared with a 3-year schedule f.or the Committeets first step. The essential difference between the Ministerts program and the Committeets total long-range program. however. is that the Committee proposes to undertake the-work in two steps over a 5 year period and the Minister nronoses to undertake almost as much work in I to 1 years. I/ A copy of the flommittp. fill rnport, which las includedin the docu- ment submitted by the Minister of Public lrorks, is available in the files. - 6 - The Milinister1s program w^ould cost 16 million pesos more than the Committees 5 year program, because of the much greater mileage of new construction, but it would provide some 415 'm less in all weather highwTays than the Committee's program. 15. After some study, the Bank concluded that the first step of the Committeels program was the most desirable for consideration at present, especially in view of the fact that: (a) There was serious doubt as to Colombia's ability to construct the larger program of the Ministry of Public Works w.ithin the It years estimated for its completion, considering the organiZa- tionalJ problems involved and the fact that even for the smaller project of the Economic Development Committee it will be necessary to train labor, technical and administrative personnel and, in addition, bring in key personnel from abroad. (b) Some of the roads included in the Mhinisterts program should be deferred until the more urgent trunk roads included in the basic highway system are completed. (c) The larger program favored by the Llinistry of Public Works vould commit a risprcpnortAonate Amrnrnt of (n1nomnhlan resonurce: before the total requirements of the over-all development TVtfl07'.T beingr, fornmil late by +he I-,.fom.sj' tteep r.pere lnousrnn , 16+ 4ft.e-r somen Ai¢>zssizon,e +i.'H llnsse f Piiblic, l nrrk adopted tlhe Committee's program and submitted the first step of this program as the project r.hich Colmbia desired the Bank to assist in financinng. De-scription of th Project 117. TV, project enviage 155 1 - - - - - (Of, ..iles of ue)cosrc+-c and 2,906 kilometers (1,703 miles) of reconstruction on trunk highways ovrer taIhree year period. 7,OTork" 1-' -be 41 v-detae onF portion Or4 t.r-.4in o1 and south trunk highways dlescribed as the Eastern and Wlestern Trunklines n"'A an .or+,n4 -^-+4 Ar r.P +-,,-,lr -,- nl, -. Q, n , _A .. + Ae.sc-kArl .fi .4 -- - v.;% - .±A y'- v.SI v 4 v LI I U SkILL YVYIO V %.4.kS 'A. X u't as the Transverse Trunklines. Taken together, the highways form a continuous r.evork~ 4e1- temo-rp 4mpor4tnt- busir.ess and-A agriculu-ra" secion o V.k' UJ.. UL Sk - .J44&kJV.p USk J U L, 0 L L. . L..LJ LUJ L . C I~U V.UI ..L Colombia. A summary of the cost and the extent of new construction and other dork on eacl of tahle 4U-U hg.y - gie; fb doi,-n see Annex Table 1.- -7- T able- 1iI Summary of the Project Average New Con- Recon- Uost (RoundedJ) Total 5stimatec Trunk struction struction Total Per Km Cost (iillions Roads Km Km Km Pesos i-os) Eastern 0 1,051) 1,051 27,300 28b7 Western 155 1,282 1,437 30,000 L3 0 Transverse 0 573 573 32,100 185.h Total 155 2,906 3,061 29,4C0 90 .1 18. As some of the estimates for various sections of the high-.vays vrere, of necessity, made vithout field surveys, it was considered prudcnt to provide for a special contingency allowance of 15%o of the presently esti-- mated total cost to be used as and if reouired on any section of the high- way to assure the completion of the project and the maintenance of the roads during construction. Specifications 19. Subject to minor modifications on the basis of field surveys, roads included in the proiect described above will, in general, have a minimum width of 7 meters; capacity of the bridges and culverts will be 20 tons, and the miniimum wridth of the new bridges vill be 6.1 meters All -mads except an estimated 15% to be paved wi-ll have a gravel or crushed rock sur- face and the surface irll be approximatelv 15 cm thick. minimum. -hen necessary, thickness of the rock or gravel surfacing will be increased to meet the demands of traffic. Paving of about 15. of the high-ravs wvil1l be undertaken only after the sections to be hard surfaced have been opened to traffi; for some time alnd traffic c have been mad1e, For ne-ipx ^-e--. tions of road to be constructed, the maximum grades will generally be 7%; / in exception2a cases the maximmn grade may be R% for short distances. i1 7% grade is a r -ef 7 ft in 100 ft horizonta, 9;st .oe - 8 - 20. These specifications compare reasonably well wvith those of the Inter- American highway. For a detailed comparison see Ainnex Table 2. Currency Requirements 21, It is estimated that 57.1 million pesos of the total cost of the proJect. plus the 13.5 million peso contingency allowance, vrould be in local currency and that about 33 million pesos ('.l6,5 million) would be renuired in foreign exchange (nrobablv all in U.S. Dollars) for the JmDorta- tion of construction machinery, trucks, machine tools, paving materials, steelj lubrica-nts nnd for pavment. for the services of engineers and contrac- tors. For a breakdown of the list of goods anticipated to be purchased *rith foreign exchange see Annex Table 3. 229 The =moint nof loea,nl niirrinncyv qnni foe-ign exchange stimatedr n toe required is shovn in the table below. Table IV Phased Requirements of Funds All figures expressed in millions of pesos for years ending Mivi1U1-.195 BId-9v il2 I-J7,145 I Vl,' Yocc-l Currency includ- ing 15% for contin- _ _ _ _ . ?n , r .I Foreign Exchange 2..4 _ L4 >.2 3.0 Total 45.9 28.9 28.7 103.6 (Foreign Exchange in (>) 11.2 2.7 2.6 l6.> 23, The local currency set fortn above will be provided for in the annual budget appropriation for the Ministry of Public I'orks. The special allowance for contingencies amounting to h.5 million pesos annually, as vell as the other peso funds (19.0 million) included in the annual budgets for the project, if not completely expended during any one budgetary year will be carried. over to the next budgetary year and vill be used only for carrying out the project. 24. The Government of CoLombia does not intend to undertake any major highway projects other than the project described in this report, exceDt. normal maintenance and the continuance of vwork on four contracts now in effect which the iIinister of Public Works feels it would be most inconvenient to cancel. Three of these contracts will involve the expenditure of approxi- mately 2.7 milUion pesos annu4lly for 3 years and the fourth will require the expenditure of about 5 to 6 million pesos in the next 18 months. The - 9 - maximum local currency requirements of the main project, 23.5 million pesos annually, plus the expenditures for the four contracts mentioned above wi-U require a peak expenditure on new construction and reconstruc-- tion of less than 30.0 million pesos in 1952. This is -well under the 38.6 million pesos budgeted for highway construction and reconstruction in 19,1. In addition, the 1951 highway budget includes 21 million pesos for mainten- ance. The demands of the projiect for local currency should, therefore, tiot overtax the high,ay budget, assuming that the future budgets wrill be at least equal to the 1951 budgcet. Plan of Constriir-tion 25- Tt is proposed that the -nnntru.ction of the project vrill be under.- taken by awarding contracts on a cost-plus-fixed-fee basis to a few prime coAnt.nrat - All nnntrants will hp sihmitted by the Colombian (Iovernment. to the Bank in advance and are to be, in form and substance, satisfactory to the Bank0 Thn Pnn+irne'rq1 fppe: ,nll Prnmin. tos nnrotrrnrimatWlrv 7_ o5 nf the total minimum estimated costs of the project and 50% to 60% of the fees will be paynble,ir. do5% (see Tahle 3 Annex). The names of the cont:rac-tors wmith whom negotiations are being nowl carried on are showm in Annex Table 4. TheU'.~. ex%.act U *~*X.LLU5~... bS Vd*Z.&.ta: VVa..La% . s L f. v1 be co.rce fao , a such contractor vwill depend, of course, on a number of considerations, including the terms o-P'--A '- -- - A -- P -11- .4 4. . Ae a ; A e o.e _L =, A Jy sUc.Y corVIA UoL%. , ar.ZU c.%L1 VJxLy WJ v .aJy '.UL LJL 1L aWJ.1 'A V negotiations have been completed. Except in those contracts where paving .Ls specifUicallprsrbd ,ecnrcsv'po-e =>at each contrac-tIor ± JV± J.L'C;ZPU4LU~Uk, L41V UllUI CLUW. ~VO.L LJi P.LV.LU%- WIL, UdL UL LJd4LJ is to construct an adequatestabilized sub-base, surfaced with crushed rock or gravel v-[ich Lu ill be suitable for paving at a later Uate, a-% quired. 26. The roads will be provided with adequate ditches and culverts for drainage, Each contractor will open for traffLic, from time to time, as rapidly as possible, sections of the road covered by his contract and vi-il keep open for traffic, as far as practical, tnose sections on which he i: wvorking where no alternate routing is possible. Each contractor vwll main- tain in condition for normal traffic purposes, the roads repaired, recon- structed, or constructed by him, during the period of his contract. 27. Contractors vwll be required, at the outset, to carry on engineering studies and prepare the detailed plans and specifications for work on the sections of the road covered by their contracts. Such plans and specifica- tions wvill be satisfactory to both the Government and the contractr'rs andl acceptable to the Bank. Such contracts will provide that the Governiment will furnish to the contractor the equipment needed for his work Insofar as possible it will be furnished by having the contractor pnronas- the equipment and reimbursing him for amounts paid by him or provil ing him with funds to make payments. Imhile the Government will be the acta1. _nvrier, the equipment, materials and supplies so purchased will be de-'iveaed tJ and remain under exclusive control of each of the conteactors tj s_ 3h time as his contract has been completed, except in cases of landEL1de or other similar emergency, in which cases equipment may be taken off the project contractor will be responsible for the maintenance of the equipment and for turning thS equipment over to bhe GovernmLent in good condition at the completion of the contract. 28. The contractors will establish equipment repair depots for the maintenance of the machinery used in carrying out their respective contracts. These depots will be located at appropriate sites capable of serving effic- iently particular areas of highway. Each depot wvill be capable of keeping in sound operating condition the amount and type of equipment required by the contractor for his maintenance of the highways during the period of hiis contract. Each depot will provide equipment storage facilities and lubri-ca- tion facilities. Each contractor will be required, during the period of his contract, to train Colombian personnel to operate the repair depots, to operate and maintain the road equipment and to learn the techniques of road maintenance. After completion of the contracts, the repair depots wIll be turned over to the Government. 29. At present, the Government has concluded certain contracts which cover sections of the proposed project writh: (a) The Raymond Concrete Pile Company, Inc. and -rinston, Inc. for the upkeep, maintenance and improvement of the Simon 3olivar highway located between the port of Buenaventura and the point on that road known as "El Saladito", located approximately 12 kilometers north and uest of Cali. This contract is estimated to cost approximately 5,375,000 pesos. (b) The Utah Construction Company, Inc. for the construction of highways between Armenia and Ibague, Calarca and Iurillo. Armenia and Pereira,'Armenia and La Espanola, Armenia and Aeropuerto, and Pereira-Cartago. This contract is esti- mated to cost approximately 6,850,000 pesos. 30. As rapidly as possible, additional contracts vill be awarded for the remaining sections of the route included in the project. It is exnected that the entire program vill be under contract not later than August 1, 1951l Maintenance After Construction 31. After each section of the road has been completed and accepted by the Government. adequate provision orill be made for its proper maintenance and all useful construction and maintenance equipment in the hands of the contractor at the time of completion of the nontrant vill ehp +.iurneid ov-ro" to the Government for this purpose. It is intended that repair depots established bv the contractors w-ill be continued in orti +-Ir the Goe-r.=vn ment, Adequate amounts of funds have been included in the annual budgets of the National Government in the past +wmro years and if sl milar onts are included in the future, the proje'ct roads and equipment should be properly maintained after comnPletion of the project, '4'i-, of the re- organization of the hiehway department which provided for a special mainten- ance section. Plans for Permanent Pavingg 32. Paving during the 3 year rehabilitation project 1ill cover only an estimated 15% of the tnmkline highways that twill be reconditioned. It is the intention of the Government in subsequent years to proceed with furthEr ,trn ,r,at rs^rwol !r - A lwx _ _ firnAc smi,- m+*.v'; n1 c m,'mn + jJ; v Li. Vwsw v*S Vi*LiSr i. kS JL4 J _*4J __ Lij.J_.Vb r nDiscussior. 33. .`hile the Economic Development Co"M itteets program which was adopted by the Government is sound from the point of view of giving top priority to rehabilitati nard COr1sst-act-ion of h ;:.. -4-4-I vvih rll be- of the, -reates economic benefit to the nation in the shortest period of time, it must be recognsized as ar, emerrgUenCy 1-3qc v<.c had to1--- -be1-4 follae v tadequat field surveys and detailed plans and specifications. The estimates of cost a -e, herefore, not 'based on exac' in'oraton, _an 4t -_ __ntic4pa4eA 4that are, 4ull L U1J Li Ud ~ UI AL JL . kJU14LU..LV~11, CLIP.± .U -L Vl there vill be variations from the figures contained in this report, but it is thought that the special contingency fund wilW cover these variations. 34. The highway department reorganization vwhich ha$ been put into effect provides a f'unctional organization vhich, if faithfully followed, will give tne Minister of Public 'W`orks an establishnment for the efficient administra- tion of the highway project and its subsequent maintenance. The critical state of the existing roads because of faulty construction and lack of adequate maintenance will undoubtedly be remedied by the carrying out of the project before the Bank, if it should be favorably considered, and the highway officials of Colombia have unquestionably been sufficiently impressed by the faulty and inadequate maintenance methods used in the past to adopt an improved system of highway maintenance. The newT construction equipment and stations for its maintenance to be established under the project plus personnel which will be trained provides a good technical base on which to build an eff'icient organization for future maintenance. 35. W1hile the desire to have a larger percentage of the roads hard sur- faced at the outset is understandable, it is vise to delay the paving of most of the trunkline network until the traffic flows resulting from the new continuous system develop, 36. The plan of construction devised meets realistically the conditions that exist in Colombia today and, in the opinion of the Engineering Staff, is from the technical standpoint a sound procedure. It proposes to place the responsibility of getting thle job done on a relatively few experienced and reliable prime contractors who may or may not sub-contract parts of the vork. These contractors wtill supply, in addition to technical skill, skill in organization vvhich wiill be a valuable contribution to the project. - 12 - 37. The critical period in the development of the project, however, is likely to be during the next 3 or 4 months when negotiations with the various contractors wAll take place and, in effect, the type of roads to be built will be decided. Tfith only general specifications as a guide, the Bank cainot be sure of the quality of the roads vwhich may result. It. is, therefore, considered important that the Bank send an experienced engineer to Colombia to advise the Bank, after becoming familiar with local conditions, on the technical soundness and suitability of the contracts submitted to the Bank for review. Conclusions and Recommendations 38. The project presented by the Colombian Government is satisfactory from a tech!ninal point of miew and is suitahIe for finpancing hy the Hank- 39= The amnount of >6.5 million i.s an n-ppronrinte estimate of the foreiwn exchange cost of the project. 40. In the event that a loan be favorably considered, it is reconnended that an e -ein-ed engineer be sen++- olmi at an aldteoadrs the Bank on the contracts which wmill be submitted to it for review. A. D. Spottswmod Engineer March 20, L951 Table 1 THE THRt-YEAR COO1I.IAN HIGHWAY PROJECTC 1.i..L4 19,14 - V..4 '9,4. .Lota EstL4:0 . IU-sZ EstD. CostU Distance included Per Kvi Total Cost Kl. inl projec;t (Pesos); (i,O00's Pesos) i. WFESTERN TRUNIRUL' NF Airi BRANCHELS *Cali-Palmira 25 25 50,000 1,250 Palmira-Murillo 95 95 10,00 >950 Murillo-Cartago 71 71 15,000 1,o65 Cartago-Medell:in 280 280 15,000 4,200 Medellin-Puerto Valdivia 202 143 30,000 4,290 Pto. Valdivia-Taraza 55 55 40,000 2,200 *Taraza-Planeta Rica 130 130 60,0oo 7,800 Planeta Rica-Cartagena 322 230 40,000 9,200 Cartagena-Barranquilla 139 120 20,000 2,400 Cauya-M,anizales 66 66 30,000 1,980 Cerritos-Manizales 79 79 25,000 1,975 lIanizales-Honda 143 143 40,000 5,720 2. EASTERN TRUNKLINE, AND BPANCHES Espinal-Girardot 20 10 30,000 300 Girardot-Fusagasuga 80 80 40,000 3,200 Bogota-l'unja 162 162 3,000 486 Tunja-Barbosa 75 75 4o,o0o 3,000 Barbosa-Bucaramanga 238 193 30,000 5,790 Bucaramanga-Pamplona 132 132 45,000 5,940 Pamplona-Cucuta 74 74 25,000 1,850 Cucuta-Gamarra 325 325 25,000 8,125 3. TRANSVERSE TRUNKLINFS Espinal-Ibague 62 50 30,000 1.500 Ibague-I.urillo 192 192 40,000 7,680 Cali-Buenaventura 142 130 41,346 5,375 Bogota-Honda 166 166 20,000 3,320 Honda-La Dorada 35 35 15,000 525 TOTALS 3.310 3.061 Ps.', 90.121 Nmv~~ .o r .v,o_n A I\ITFY. Table 2 CP,4M&TqCn1 CP q' nP(T1;7rATTnMqT nl~T~.TM~I1¶ CO.APSON OF SPEMICA-01-.T OF C-LOYBiIAN PO i lhlTH THOSE OF INTER AMErRICAN PIIGH".AY Inter American Colombian T4-em LIA~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ +1,-- ) ;c 8iJA4 UI - ~ 6~"V i ~ .J~U J ,11 UL O~. J w ;lr.wuGrade 7% P Ito 8> Ybldt beQwee shoulders 8e5 r,.eers 7 me-ters 7% J.. 2.S)mhia Utah Gns,t-ruc-tljon Cnmnqpany Carrera 9a ° 16-20 Mborrison and :r.udse vvm,panr Calle 12 N2 8-li Ch1-rist-iani ,^r NTielsen Carrera 9a le 16-20 Bogota, Clo' o.bia; TT 4 'a C-4 Q.~ - - D Unl teU oud' es 6-VUt t-J ZLA4JIut QUuillpJdly Calle 13 #7-90, Of. 529/532 B)ogota, Colombica PRINCJPAL SURFACEFIGURE I BARRANOU7 CIENAGA TRANSPORT ROUTES BARRANQU>A - aclEN^GA - 7 L v CARTAGEN2J- A V A Z ( r r /7ARi S A htO4 -RAA\ ANASGOR A T+ (3 be _--i~~~~t WLLiN;2 ' L- '. aS ''\' .*'5 FER rEJA ,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'V A *=*> PUERTOuR.E 1 /- X L E RRO LOPEZ ER\ ~ ~ ~ ~ ERf < --- ;+" r ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~RAILWAYS IZ LES F Tr , ~ '-_ PIPELINES LORENCIA E , - ' C I/fl `!- , ~~~~,,, E L D Z, I OR NCI FIGURE 2 TRUNKLINE HIGHWAYS ) IN THE GO!OMB!IA.KI HiGHWAY iROJC V ri BARRANQUI ,>-,v \ CARTAGEN%4 t= i ..n . , ON^ O. j, 7 e< i9 > > } S \ t \ |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~RC \~~~~~~T OCU (t/vc// |(< , 'CC TA \ t 1 , t ( *w w PUERTOP^ERTO x ) e.,ir> lr;s fiERRr P£iRERRIOd SAN C ,_*(,_ " e ' --r ....~~~~~W-)R.) rT,NJA.ilP g . 01 ,' ~\ ' -'. NEYAl n SE f ;, - (J 2 - -';. e )7 ,r x _.y.:u TUIIFAC . - j ..... T, lGU5jUP < *; 4 kjn r/ * X,t ;r* A < EL i \ ' , 2-i- 4 \~~~~~~~~1 1'';t 2 _+_ \ {% 4 r~~~~~~~~~NA \f *n_\ '" 'R.O lAltClt 1 , 195