Tiquina Strait is a channel of water of about 800 meters situated in northern Bolivia, on Lake Titicaca. It splits national road number 2 connecting La Paz (mainland Bolivia) and Manco Kapac Provice (Bolivian periclave, situated on Peninsula which belong to Peru). Current transportation means between the peninsula and the mainland are pontoons and simple boats operated by local communities. The only alternative route, used by most of the heavy traffic, goes from La Paz to Copacabana via the Peruvian border in Desaguadero.
In order o spur econmic development and make commuting safer, as part of our Comparative Management course, we are building a 1,000m bridge on the strait.
There are several challenges we are facing:
- different interest of stake holders: inhabitants of Tito Yupanqui and Copacabana have requested that the government in La Paz construct a bridge on the strait. This proposal was protested by the Tiquina community, which makes their living from transporting people/ goods over the strait
- Environmental effects: environmental nonprofits in the area are concerned with the high level of pollution in Lake Titicaca. They will likely raise opposition to the construction proces.
- Financing: estimated costs of the bridge amount to $US35 million. We consider Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) and Private Finance Initiatives (PFI) good ways to finance the project.
- Labor: constructing a bridge requires an implementation team wih sophisticated level of expertise that may not be available locally. Contracting this work to foreigners will raise costs substantially.
