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.
Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Grand achievement for Intermountain
    July 18, 2012
    A versatile solution has helped with a tricky project at the Grand Canyon in the US – Pierre Peltier When Intermountain Slurry Seal, a division of Granite Construction, submitted its bid in 2009 to repair roads and parking lots along the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, the company knew the job would come with challenges. The remote roads leading from Jacob’s Lake, Arizona, to the North Rim Lodge had deteriorated to a point that the Federal Highway Association’s (FHWA) Central Federal Lands (CFL) Highway Division
    Read More
  • Czech tunnel link proposed as alternative
    November 11, 2019
    A new road tunnel link has been proposed for the town of Bilina in the Czech Republic. The project has been put forward by the country’s state road and motorway management company RSD as an alternative to the bypass originally proposed. At present the E442 route passes straight through Bilina, which is located in the north of the country and close to the border with Germany. However the road link is not considered suitable and a bypass costing an estimated €252.15 million was suggested as a way to carry tra
    Read More
  • Expansion of the Panama Canal
    February 24, 2012
    In Panama, a ten-year US$5 billion project is underway to double the capacity of the Panama Canal Since its completion in 1914 the Panama canal has allowed shipping to cross the 80km wide isthmus at the narrowest part of the Americas. Belgian company Dredging International's D'Artagnan, a self-propelled heavy-duty cutter suction dredger, arrived at the canal, and the latest addition to the Panama Canal Authority's (ACP) expansion dredging fleet then made its way to the Pacific entrance, where it will expa
    Read More
  • Highway proposals to extend Vietnam’s network
    November 12, 2015
    A series of major highway and road projects have been proposed for Vietnam. Investors have submitted a proposal to build North-South road costing an estimated US$383.8 million. Another proposal has come from the Project Management Board 85 to develop Bien Hoa-Tan Thanh-Cai Mep Seaport expressway, with an estimated cost of $591.5 million.
    Read More

Highlighted Content