San Miguelito's Cable Car Project Receives Green Light: Construction to Begin by End of 2024

The highly anticipated San Miguelito Cable Car project has officially been approved, with the green light given on 21 August 2024. This significant development comes as part of the government’s continued commitment to enhancing transportation infrastructure in Panama.

President José Raúl Mulino’s administration is determined to launch the tender for the San Miguelito Cable Car before the year ends. This announcement was made earlier to Irma Hernández, the Mayor of San Miguelito, during a meeting at the Presidential Palace, Palacio de Las Garzas.

The Mayor emphasized the importance of the cable car project, highlighting it as a much-needed solution for the residents of San Miguelito. In addition to this, she urged the President to address ongoing issues in the district, including waste management, water shortages, and the completion of several stalled infrastructure projects.

Among these pending projects are the new Santa Librada School, the San Isidro Health Center, and the San Isidro Zona Paga. While these constructions are nearly complete, they have not yet been made available to the public.

Before meeting with the President, Mayor Hernández had a coordination session with the Secretary of Goals and Minister of Canal Affairs, José Ramón Icaza, to assess the current state of ongoing projects and align priorities to meet the needs of San Miguelito's population. Additionally, she met with Minister of the Presidency, Juan Carlos Orillac, who assured her that the government would follow up with the local authorities to ensure the completion of the unfinished infrastructure projects. It was also agreed to hold regular coordination meetings to monitor the progress of the cable car and other district plans.

The Cabinet Council approved Resolution No. 78-24 on 20 August 2024, declaring the cable car project in the districts of Panama and San Miguelito to be of public interest. This project will be executed under the Administrative Concession System.

This resolution authorizes Metro de Panamá, S.A. to begin the process of studies and the selection of a concessionaire for the cable car project. The decision follows instructions from the Board of Directors of Metro de Panamá, S.A., which, on 8 August 2024, directed its General Manager, César A. Pinzón, to request that the Cabinet qualify the cable car project as a public interest initiative, in accordance with Article 6 of Law 5 of 1988.

Metro de Panamá has been given a maximum of four months to present the draft tender and contract for the project to the Cabinet. Additionally, the Ministry of Economy and Finance has been authorized to allocate the necessary funds or additional credits for the pre-tender studies and the selection of the concessionaire.

The primary goal of the cable car construction is to serve a segment of the population in Panama and San Miguelito that is not adequately covered by Metro Lines 1 and 2, nor by the Metrobus fleet, due to the challenging topography of the areas where they reside.

In conjunction with the approval of the cable car project, the Cabinet also passed Resolution No. 77-24 on 20 August 2024, amending the previous Cabinet Resolution No. 77 of 20 October 2020. This amendment increases the economic limit of the Compensation and Social Assistance Program (PCAS) for socially vulnerable individuals displaced due to the construction of Line 3 of the Panama Metro.

The original resolution capped the program at B/.3,437,270, but with the new amendment, this limit has been raised to B/.4,780,000. Additionally, a new provision has been introduced, setting a cap of B/.2,500 on financial support that Metro de Panamá, S.A. can grant to private property owners whose land is affected by the metro construction, provided they meet certain conditions.

The San Miguelito Cable Car project marks a significant step forward in improving transportation and addressing the needs of the district’s residents, promising better connectivity and infrastructure in the near future.