‘Doble Calzada Oriente’ Highway Wins Construction OK; New Link Between Medellin, Booming Eastern Municipalities
The long-awaited “doble calzada oriente” (DCO) four-lane divided highway between Medellin’s “Las Palmas” eastern highway and the Jose Maria Cordova (JMC) international airport just won a final approval from the Antioquia departmental government.
As a result, construction on the COP$926 billion (US$265 million), 13.7-kilometers-long project will start this year, project leader Constructora Conconcreto announced last night (January 19).
Construction time is estimated at 36 months, meaning the highway would open for traffic by 2023 or 2024.
The entire project will be privately funded, rather than tapping any government funds. Toll booths will enable developers to recoup the investment over the coming decades.
The highway will spur further development in the booming “Oriente” (east of Medellin) region including Rionegro and portions of Envigado.
The new DCO highway will connect with the existing Las Palmas four-lane divided highway eastward from Medellin near the “Sancho Paisa” roundabout, passing through the outlying El Tablazo neighborhood of Rionegro and connecting onward with the existing highway bordering JMC airport into central Rionegro.
Partners in the project include Constructora Conconcreto, Castro Tcherassi and Procopal.
On the new highway, “estimated travel time between the Sancho Paisa roundabout and the José María Córdova Airport in Rionegro will be 12 minutes, with an average speed of 80 kilometers per hour,” according to Conconcreto.
