The infra works Lima needs to speed up for the 2027 Pan-American Games

As the host of the 2027 Pan-American Games, Lima will have to resolve issues in terms of public works and urban connectivity, although the Peruvian capital seems well prepared as it previously hosted the sports event in 2019.

Yet, progress of megaprojects such as metro line No. 2 is uncertain and raises doubts about whether they can be finished in time to alleviate traffic.

Every dollar invested in the event will return three or four, economy minister José Arista said, according to state news outlet El Peruano.

Carlos Neuhaus, who headed the 2019 organizing committee, was quoted as saying by El Comercio that the event could contribute more than half a percentage point to GDP in 2027 – but “the city needs to accelerate the works that must be done.”

BNamericas reviews the main works necessary for the sports event.

METRO LINE NO. 2

The US$5.35bn line is the most important transportation and urban mobilization work for the event. It is being built under the public-private partnership model and registers progress of 53%, according to regulator Ositrán, but a finishing date has not been defined.

The line will connect Callao and Ate-Vitarte and serve 27 stations. A stretch serving five stations is operational, with three more expected to start operations by 2026, according to the transportation and communications ministry (MTC). Initially, the line was expected to be finished by mid-2025.

Works on the central station will be paralyzed in three months when the tunnel boring machine arrives because related permits from the municipality are lacking. “This is going to cause us problems with the concessionaire, which could request compensation for the delays,” Ositran president Verónika Zambrano said in a TV interview.

JORGE CHÁVEZ AIRPORT

The US$2bn Jorge Chávez airport in Callao is on track to be finished as planned by December 18.

According to a release by construction company Lima Airport Partners (LAP), progress reached 77%, with work underway on viaducts and the installation of internal equipment.

Main works are completed, while luxury hotel chain Costa del Sol started construction of a US$50mn airport hotel.

AIRPORT ACCESS

As airport works are advancing, construction of the accesses faces problems.

Consorcio Santa Rosa de Lima won a contract to build two modular bridges, each 81.9m, as a temporary solution while the main access, the 346mn-sol (US$94.1mn) Santa Rosa bridge is under construction.

Works on the modular bridges will begin this month, demand 11.9mn soles and should finish in October.

The Santa Rosa bridge was planned to be built under the works-for-taxes mechanism, but is now a government-to-government project with the involvement of France. Under the mechanism, one government contracts goods, services and works from another.

A deadline to finish the infrastructure by end-2025 has been scrapped.

In an interview with local media, transportation and communications minister Raúl Pérez-Reyes said the bridge will be ready in 2H26, but experts estimate it could be 2027. Capex could also be subject to revisions, Pérez-Reyes said.

AIRPORT METRO STATION 

Plans on a line No. 2 connection to the Jorge Chávez airport are still unclear. Due to a lack of joint planning, the current design includes a station at the current airport but does not have a substation for the new terminal.

No information on a connection between both stations has been released. Specialists proposed awarding the link to the company that is building metro line No. 3.

SANTA ROSA HIGHWAY

The schedule for the link between the new airport and the Costa Verde highway connecting the beaches of Callao and Lima's Chorrillos district has been adjusted.

MTC said in October 2023 that the project will be ready in November 2027, just before the games start. Yet, PMO Vías, the local unit of French companies Egis and Setec, which are in charge of the project, said it will be finished in 2028, and costs will rise from 820mn soles to 1.71bn soles.

“We hope that the event will serve as an excuse to see how we can accelerate projects underway, deliver new ones, and solve transportation issues such as metropolitan corridors,” Juan José Cárdenas, an infrastructure lawyer at Damma Legal Advisors, told BNamericas.

OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE

Maintenance on existing sports infrastructure is also key. According to Cárdenas, the service is currently provided by a private company as part of a government-to-government contract with the UK, although Peru must guarantee work continues.

“The works are perfectly maintained and various world championships in various disciplines have even been held. It's time to ensure maintenance for the next three years, and the government has to take action immediately,” Cárdenas said.