A finance package has been secured in Colombia for the Autopista al Mar 1 highway project. A loan worth close to US$206 million is being provided by the national development bank, Financiera de Desarrollo Nacional (FDN). The highway forms part of Colombia’s 4G infrastructure development plan and the finance package will be provided in three separate tranches.
The construction work is being carried out by a consortium comprising Strabag, Concay and Sacyr Concesiones. The project will upgrade the 71km existing route connecting Santa Fe in Antioquia and Bolombolo. The work also includes widening the 43km route between Medellin and Santa Fe, in Antioquia Department. Other key portions of the project include the construction of the 4.6km Tunel de Occidente as well as building no less than 39 bridges.
Meanwhile work to build the Toyo Tunnel (Tunel del Toyo) in Antioquia Department is now around 64% complete. The tunnel measures 9.8km long and should be ready for traffic by 2022. The link is being built bya consortium comprising FCC Construction, Cass Builders and Company, Carlos Alberto Solarte and Estyma Studies and Handling. The tunnel route runs underneath the mountains of western Antioquia, an area that is difficult to access at present due to its challenging topography. Construction of the route will improve transport to the port of Uraba, located some 80km to the north of the city of Medellin. Work is also underway on the nearby Tunel 18, a 258m tunnel section located close to Canasgordas, as well as the Puente 13 bridge and a number of access roads
However there are questions surrounding the highway widening project for the Bogota-Girardot route. A preliminary investigation is being carried out into the construction partnership handling the $586.3 million road widening work along a 154km stretch of the highway connecting the capital Bogota with Girardot. The investigation is being carried out by the official the industry and trade watchdog (SIC), focussing on the tender process.
