| Project Detail |
The project, located between the municipalities of Giraldo and Cañasgordas, around 500 kilometres north-west of Bogotá, consists of building a completely new road section. It will span 40.84 km in two directions with one lane in each, there will also be a dual carriageway section with two lanes in each direction. This section will pass through the mountains of western Antioquia in an area that is difficult to access.
The works will substantially improve the connection between Medellín and the region of Urabá. The journey between the capital of Antioquia and Urabá will be cut from the six hours it currently takes, to three and a half when using private vehicles, once the whole Toyo tunnel project is up and running. For lorries, the journey will take around four hours. The highways Mar 1 and Mar 2, forming part of the Autopistas de la Prosperidad programme, amongst other infrastructure in the region, will also help reduce journey time.
The complete project also includes 12.3 km of tunnels, 9.8 km of which will make up the Toyo tunnel, added to the new road leading to Urabá. Once complete, it will be the longest of its kind in Colombia.
The project is to be fully completed over 10 years, six of which will be dedicated to the construction phase and two and a half to operation and maintenance. The rest of the time will be spent on the design phase and any necessary pre-construction work. Other large international infrastructure groups also took part in the tender process. It is estimated that the Toyo tunnel works will directly create one thousand jobs. |
