Type of work

Tunnels

Toyo Tunnel Project

Colombia

Construction of Toyo Tunnel in Colombia

Construction of Toyo Tunnel in Colombia

  • infographic legend of the Toyo Tunnel project
  • Toyo tunnel entrance aerial view
  • infographic legend of the Toyo Tunnel project
  • Toyo tunnel entrance aerial view

Description

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.

This tunnel, with a length of 9.74 kilometers, it is the longest of the eight planned for cross the western mountain range of Antioch.

The excavation has been completed using the New Austrian Method (NATM).

The construction of this infrastructure will result in an improvement in daily travel times for commuters.

 

Responsible

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.

It is estimated that the Toyo tunnel works will directly create one thousand jobs.

Highlights

When the project is inished, it will become the most tunnel throughout Latin America.