The National Government delivered more than 19 kilometers of double carriageway between construction of a new road and improvement of the existing road between the Western Tunnel and San Jerónimo, of the Fourth Generation project, 4G, Highway to the Sea 1.
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The work belongs to section (functional unit) 1 of the project and is made up of 32 new bridges17 bridges improved, 31 walls built and 1,188 new LED lights.
With his execution by $900 billion (December 2021 figures) benefit 2,600,000 inhabitants of Medellín and the municipalities of Ebéjico and San Jerónimo. Likewise, a reduction in travel times is achieved, going from 40 minutes to only 15, which brings great advantages in terms of lower vehicle operating costs, greater road safety, more competitiveness and better quality of life. Through this corridor, cargo transport is mainly mobilized, which takes agricultural products derived from bananas to Urabá Antioquia, as well as material from mining.
“Today we deliver these 19km of dual carriageway for the Mar 1 project, which is already 95% complete and will be completed by this government in the coming months. With Mar 1, Mar 2 and Puerto Antioquia we will improve the competitiveness of this department. It is as a team that we advance and I thank the Devimar concession, the Minister of Transport and the ANI team, because”, assured the President of the Republic, Iván Duque Márquez.
It should be noted that Mar 1 registered in August 2018 a advance of 8.86% and to date its execution is 95.43%, with which it enters the final stretch. “Today we deliver to the country and to the people of Antioquia modern and safe roads that promote road infrastructure, that generate jobs and opportunities for the region,” said Ángela María Orozco, Minister of Transportation.
The Mar 1 and Mar 2 projects, together with the Pacific Highways 1, 2, 3 will facilitate foreign trade to and from Antioquia and the Coffee Region. Currently, the travel time in a truck from the Coffee Region to Urabá is 21 hours; with the construction of these projects it will be reduced to 12 hours.
“We continue to work hard to finish the vast majority of 4G projects, under the slogan that the national government outlined to conclude, conclude and conclude. Precisely, in the department of Antioquia, the National Infrastructure Agency has 11 road projects under concession, which benefit nearly 1.4 million people, and today we ratify that commitment with this new installment on the Autopista al Mar 1”, pointed out Manuel Felipe Gutiérrez, president of the ANI.
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Highway to the Sea 1 generates more than 2,200 jobs Mar 1 has an extension of 181 kilometers, the value of the project is $1.9 billion (December 2021 Capex), it has generated more than 3,600 direct and indirect jobs in total during its construction and has 2,209 assets. The works in this 4G project contemplate the construction of the second lane and the improvement of the existing lane between Medellín and Santa Fe de Antioquia, the rehabilitation between Santa Fe de Antioquia and Peñalisa (Salgar municipality), already delivered, as well as the maintenance and the operation of the existing corridor between Santa Fe de Antioquia and Cañasgordas.
Milestones achieved: the Western tunnel and the Cauca bridge In February 2020, the rehabilitation of 74.8 km between Santa Fe de Antioquia and Peñalisa was delivered, a work that belongs to section (UF) 4 of the project and is essential for the development of neighboring municipalities such as Anzá, Betulia, Concordia, Venecia and Salgar (Peñalisa district) and of course Santa Fe de Antioquia.
Likewise, the second tube of the Western Tunnel became in August 2020 a milestone for Colombia’s infrastructure by achieving the culmination of the 4,600 meters of excavation, anticipating the cale (meeting of the two work fronts). This work will connect the Aburrá Valley with western and southwestern Antioquia. Additionally, progress is being made on the construction of the new bridge over the Cauca River, a 426-meter-long structure that is already 90% complete and will link Medellín with Urabá Antioquia to the northwest of the country and also connect the surrounding municipalities. .
Paula Galeano
