Coviandina responded to Gustavo Petro for possible nationalization of the road to Llano

After the president Gustavo Petro indicated that the possibility of nationalizing the road to Llano is being considered, in the last hours the Vial Andina Concessionaire (Coviandina)in charge of the important road corridor, responded to the president by assuring that she has always worked to guarantee a safe and productive road.

“Until now has fully complied with the purpose of the Concession contract 005 of June 9, 2015 entered into with the National Infrastructure Agency (ANI) under the PPP scheme, financed and already built one hundred percent with private resources, which consisted of the construction of a new road in the Chirajara sector k 63+000 to the Fundadores intersection k 85+600, and the administration, operation and maintenance of the entire Bogotá-Villavicencio highway,” Coviandina said in a statement.

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And the president pointed out that the problems with the road have had to be covered with funds from the national government, and that free mobility would not be guaranteed to travelers and transporters to and from the capital of Meta. “A concession was made where in the critical pieces, where there were supposed to be problems: The concession does not pay, the State paysthat is, all of us.”

However, the concession attributed that most of the inconveniences that have left the road corridor in suspense would be due to an external climatic factor, which has prevented a more timely intervention. “Taking into account that the Bogotá-Villavicencio road corridor is one of the most representative and important for the economic and social development of the country, Our purpose is to offer the best connectivity on the road, as long as safety conditions exist for users, which unfortunately in recent months have been seriously affected by factors external to the Concessionaire,” says Coviandina.

The Ministry of Transportation published a report in which it is stated that, for every day that the road is closed, the transport sector alone loses around $3.75 billion; words that Gustavo Petro later repeated and that caused controversy in different political sectors. However, Coviandina blamed those losses on those who initially planned and built the road corridor.

“Public opinion is aware that natural disasters have occurred that prevent constant circulation on the dual carriageway, and except for the damage to a pillar of the Naranjal Bridge (avalanche in July 2023), All the problems are in the road built many years ago by the Invías. This results in sections of the road where you can only travel in one direction, and these are the reasons for the delays that occur.”

During the president’s speech, the accusation he made about the money collected from road tolls, which are classified as some of the most expensive in Colombia, also caused a stir. “The possibility of nationalizing the concession of the road to the Llano so that part of the toll finances the critical points that it does not finance today (…) the Ministry of Transportation, with the knowledge and with the people who know best technically the concession, it is important that a team be formed, which will become a negotiating team for the possibility of nationalization of the highway.”

In response to the accusations, the concessionaire responded emphatically, highlighting its transparent operation since it has been in charge of the road to Llano. “Until now, Coviandina has fully complied with all its contractual obligations and commitments made to the region and the country, and has no legal problems. It is worth specifying that the tolls collected to date have been used for the construction, operation and maintenance of the road, not for any other purpose.”