12 Crucial Highway Projects in Antioquia Restart with ‘Biosafety’ Protocols
Colombia’s national infrastructure agency (Agencia Nacional de Infraestructura, ANI) announced April 21 the restart of 12 crucial highway construction projects in Antioquia — thanks to new biosafety protocols to avoid Coronavirus infections.
“Among the 12 infrastructure projects that will restart works are ‘Autopista al Mar 1,’ which seeks to bring Medellín closer to the main centers of commercial exchange such as the Caribbean Coast, the Pacific Coast and the Magdalena River,” according to ANI.
“Large-scale works stand out, such as the construction of the second tube of the western tunnel [connecting Medellin with the Mar 1 highway to Santa Fe de Antioquia], which is 4.6-kilometers-long and has registered progress of 75% to date.
“Meanwhile, in the Pacifico 1, 2 and 3 projects, which will connect the capital of Antioquia with the Valle del Cauca, the coffee region and the southwest of the country, works such as the Sinifaná tunnel [part of Pacifico 1] are already in waterproofing stage.
“The Mulatos tunnel — which belongs to Pacífico 2 — and the Pacifico 3 highway project both have restarted construction works, while the Thessalia tunnel –the largest and most important in the coffee region — has successfully completed [end-to-end excavation] last March, totaling 3.5-kilometers in length,” ANI added.
Other crucial restarts include the “Vías del Nus” project (already 61% complete) connecting Medellin and northern Antioquia to the northern Atlantic coast; the “Conexión Norte” project ( 55% complete) connecting the municipality of Remedios to Zaragosa, Antioquia; and the just-restarted “Magdalena 2” project, which includes a nearly complete bridge over Rio Magdalena at Puerto Berrio, Antioquia.
In addition, more restarts include the Antioquia-Bolívar highway; the “Transversal de las Américas” highway; the “Devimed” project between Medellin, Marinilla and Santuario [Medellin-Bogota highway], and the Girardot-Honda–Puerto Salgar “Tramo La Dorada” projects in Antioquia, according to ANI.
