Skip to main content

New tunnel link proposed for Colombia

Even as work continues on La Linea tunnel in Colombia, the country’s government has received a proposal for an additional tunnel link. A consortium made up of Colombian companies and Italian firms has suggested building a new tunnel to link Quindio and Tolima. Odinsa, Mincivil, Impregilo and Salini are involved in the consortium and have suggested a PPP as being a possible model under which to construct the link, which could cost in the order of US$531 million and would be 8.5km long. The economic case for
July 23, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Even as work continues on La Linea tunnel in Colombia, the country’s government has received a proposal for an additional tunnel link. A consortium made up of Colombian companies and Italian firms has suggested building a new tunnel to link Quindio and Tolima. 3214 Odinsa, Mincivil, 3149 Impregilo and Salini are involved in the consortium and have suggested a PPP as being a possible model under which to construct the link, which could cost in the order of US$531 million and would be 8.5km long. The economic case for this new route has yet to be made clear as the tunnel would lie comparatively close to the La Linea tunnel.

Progress with the current La Linea tunnel project in Colombia has been slow due to a series of delays. This link will connect Calarca and Cajamarca in the central Corderilla of the Colombian Andes and at around 8.6km, will be the longest road tunnel in Latin America when complete. When open to traffic La Linea tunnel will reduce travel times along Route 40 between Bogota and Cali and also the port of Buenaventura. This difficult project has met with numerous challenges, from technical, financial and legal standpoints. Altitude has not made the project any easier either and one tunnel portal is at 2,400m above sea level while the other is at 2,500m. However when it is complete the benefit to the Colombian economy will be significant as it will improve transport and cut accidents by replacing a treacherous existing route. From an engineering standpoint, the opening of La Linea tunnel will be a significant achievement for Colombia’s construction industry.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Tackling the UK's traffic congestion
    February 28, 2012
    The biggest problem on UK roads is congestion, and there is no shortage of ideas as to how it should be tackled. Patrick Smith reports. Congestion (and how to relieve it), along with safety, are among the top priorities facing those responsible for looking after the UK's roads. Road pricing, car-share lanes, greener vehicle initiatives and alternative methods of transport such as buses, trams and rail are all part of the approach, but prior to the current economic climate the nation's love affair with the c
  • Reunion road project; agreement reached
    August 13, 2020
    An agreement has been reached for the massive Reunion coastal road project.
  • Texas Transportation tollway being previewed
    January 31, 2017
    A US$1.5 billion Interstate project is being put forward for approval in the US State of Texas. The LBJ East project is being proposed the city of Dallas and will be an 18km stretch of Interstate 635 that will connect Central Expressway with Interstate 30. The project has been planned by the Texas Transportation Department and is intended to boost capacity in the areas around Lake Highland, Garland, Far East Dallas and Mesquite. The proposed route calls for two of the seven lanes on the widened Interstate s
  • Consortium carrying out Colombian highway project
    July 25, 2014
    In Colombia a consortium will carry out the Perimetral Oriental road contract. The US$463.4 million contract is for a 153km section of road connecting Cundinamarca and Meta, which when complete will cut journey times by two hours compared with the current route. The consortium comprises Israeli company Shikun & Binui and local firm Grodco and Colombiana Inversiones en Infraestructura, which is owned by Spanish company Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas (FCC). The work will take four years to carry out an