The leader of Renovación Popular, Rafael López Aliaga, was the first in the electoral polls to propose the construction of an underground tunnel with a toll system to connect various important points in Lima and thus reduce traffic congestion.
“Yes, there will be people willing to go to an underground Lima, a ring that has, for example (…) an exit point in Miraflores, another exit point in Los Olivos, all underground, and another exit point in San Juan de Lurigancho (…) All below,” he explained during his lecture at the Management School of the University of Piura last Thursday.
He explained that there is a lot of unmet demand that comes with the ability to pay tolls and in return save time on travel. “People will pay you whatever toll you impose on their time. It’s a brutal, unmet demand,” he stressed. He acknowledged that the cost of the work would be high, but stressed the interest of private investment: “The toll can be expensive, but there are people willing to pay it for the opportunity cost of time.”
López Aliaga pointed out that this proposal is inspired by systems implemented in other countries, such as the Américo Vespucio ring road in Santiago de Chile, and assured that the situation in Lima is causing greater vehicle congestion, which would increase the demand for this type of infrastructure.
“I am promoting this tunnel under all of Lima, or I have been promoting it. I traveled to promote it, but it was in the spotlight. There are people who are interested in it (…) because there is a toll, the toll can be expensive, but there are people who are willing to pay it for time reasons,” he explained.
The former mayor also defended the merging of regional budgets to carry out road construction work and criticized certain large infrastructure projects that he considers unrealistic in the national context.
Last September, during his term as mayor, he presented a plan to transform Abancay Avenue into a boulevard connecting Damero de Pizarro to Barrios Altos, with traffic redirected entirely through an underground tunnel.
“Abancay Avenue, this is hell, we are going to make it a long boulevard park, the entire connection, soft, beautiful, aesthetic, between the Damero de Pizarro and the Barrios Altos, which should always be respected,” he explained.
The project called for the creation of an above-ground park and the rerouting of vehicular traffic through a tunnel that would run through a large portion of the city. “This tunnel, which must be built below Abancay, takes him to San Juan de Lurigancho without harming anyone’s life, with respect for the Rímac and how beautiful the meeting of the Rímac with the Rímac River was. A lot of history and a lot of art has been lost there by people who don’t have the slightest idea of aesthetics,” he explained.
He insisted that a work of this magnitude requires detailed studies: “An Abancay avenue to be placed underground must of course have a technical file, it is a mega-work that also involves high costs,” he added.
He estimated the budget at around $600 million and suggested the possibility of using the “works for taxes” mechanism. “With political will, there are Peruvian groups that want to do it,” he assured.
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