Sunday, May 6, 2012

Bridging the Gulf on La Septima

Workers lay a huge beam across the bridge over 26th St.
Today, bridge construction on La Septima reached a landmark as workers laid the iron beams bridging the gap over 26th St.

Graffiti taggers managed to get to this beam.
The bridge and the new lanes below it are are part of the project extending the TransMilenio express bus system to the airport. The construction has a long way to go yet, and I don't see how it can be operating even partially by June, as Mayor Gustavo Petro has promised. But at least it's taking shape.

About 80 days left to go (hopefully) on the project.
The countdown sign's second digit has fallen off. 
Ave. Septima still contains huge pits, where they're building the Museo Nacional transit station. City leaders say that won't be completed until early next year. Let's hope. The whole project was originally supposed to be operating in 2010. The delays, cost overruns and alleged corruption have ex-Mayor Samuel Rojas and his brother, a senator, in jail.

But all this digging and building may be only a hint of what's to come if the city next starts out on two more TransMilenio lines, a light rail on La Septima and - the mother of all infrastructure - a subway.




Ciclovia users look into one of the huge excavations on Seventh Ave.l


By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

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