Due to collapses, Medellin-Bogotá highway is operating on a single lane

After last Friday, March 11, a collapse destroyed a lane between kilometers 68 and 69 of the Medellín-Bogotá highway, on the Caño Alegre sector of San Luis, the National Institute of Roads (Invías) reported on Monday that, following the emergency, the passage to a lane on the road will be maintained.

According to the territorial director of Invías in Antioquia, Mauricio Hoyos, due to the instability of the land where the emergency occurred, the removal of debris in the sector and the recovery of the road have been delayed, which is why only one lane has been set up so far.

The National Highway Institute also detailed that, at the moment, the passage to a lane enabled on the Medellín-Bogotá highway is between kilometers 68, 69 and 72 of that road. Likewise, the agency reported that travelers who normally travel along this road corridor, can move along the alternative route of Caño Alegre - Puerto Berrio - Cisneros - Medellín.

Here is the map of the alternate route:

The territorial director of Invías in Antioquia also assured that, from the road agency, they remain attentive to any eventuality or emergency that may arise in the sector “to ensure that the passability of people in these sectors is maintained,” Hoyos pointed out.

It should be noted that, according to the latest hydrometeorological alert published by the Administrative Department of Risk Management of Antioquia (Dagran), there are 17 municipalities in the department that are on red alert for landslide risk.

According to the report, the municipalities on alert are: Murindó, Amalfi, Uramita, Concepción, El Peñol, El Santuario, Granada, Nariño, San Francisco, San Luis, Apartado, Carepa, Chigorodó, Mutatá, Turbo, Barbosa and La Estrella.

Likewise, the Dagran recommended special attention to the following road corridors that are on alert, in the face of the risk of slippage: Uramita-Dabeiba PR 26+000 Peñas Blancas sector; Dabeiba and Mutatá, and Santuario-Caño Alegre road, km 68 and 84.

Finally, Risk Management also called for maintaining monitoring of 21 other Antioquia municipalities that are on orange alert due to the likelihood of landslides in unstable and high-slope areas.

According to the alert issued by the Dagran, the 21 municipalities at risk are: Belmira, Entrerríos, Ituango, San Pedro de los Milagros, Buritica, Caicedo, Caicedo, Cañasgordas, Dabeiba, Frontino, Sopetrán, Abejorral, Algeria, El Retiro, La Ceja, Marinilla, Sonson, Andes, Ciudad Bolivar, Montebello, Santa Barbara and Urrao.

It should be remembered that the Medellín-Bogotá highway is not the only road that has had to be closed in recent days due to landslides. On the night of this Monday, March 14, heavy rains that occurred in the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga caused several collapses on the road that connects San Gil with the center of the country.

According to Blu Radio, after a ravine overflowed over the Curos sector, both the authorities and the Invías decided to close kilometer 66 to kilometer 71 of that road corridor.

“At this time, Santandereans are informed that: the road closure is reported due to landslides, rockfalls, trees, heavy rains and other elements,” Santander Disaster Risk Management reported, through its Twitter account.

So far, neither Risk Management nor Invías have announced progress in the restoration of traffic in this road corridor.

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