The tunnel project will shorten travel times, and is expected to change the economic dynamics of northwestern Colombia by improving transportation of agricultural and industrial goods to the Caribbean. File Photo by Elvis Gonzalez/EPA
Colombia is progressing with one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in Latin America. Work continues on the Guillermo Gaviria Echeverri Toyo Tunnel that, once completed, will become the longest vehicular tunnel in Latin America.
Situated between Medellín and the Urabá region, the long main tunnel will be 5 miles long and part of the “New Route to the Sea,” a 23-mile corridor that includes bridges, viaducts and other tunnels.
The project will shorten travel times, and is expected to change the economic dynamics of northwestern Colombia by improving transportation of agricultural and industrial goods to the Caribbean and strengthening integration between the country’s interior and its coast.
Construction began several years ago, and the Antioquia provincial government and Medellín’s City Hall completed the lining of the main tunnel in June, completing 99% of the project’s first section, Blu Radio reported.
The Toyo Tunnel is situated in northwestern Colombia in the mountainous department of Antioquia, whose capital, Medellín, is the country’s second-largest city.
The project will cut nearly five hours off the travel time for trucks and travelers moving from Medellín to the future ports of Urabá on the Caribbean Sea, an exit point for Colombia’s exports.
This megaproject is also part of an unprecedented financial effort in the region, led by the national government and the Antioquia government.
The first section represents an investment of more than $675 million, with significant funding from the city of Medellín, which allocated additional resources as part of its commitment to strengthening the competitiveness of both the department and the country, El Tiempo reported.
The second section of the Toyo Tunnel, which connects the municipalities of Santa Fe de Antioquia and Giraldo, is progressing steadily and has surpassed 60% completion.
This segment is the most critical part of the project, as it includes the construction of 11 additional tunnels, 13 bridges and about 7.8 miles of open roadway — to link the main tunnel with the highway leading to the Urabá region of Antioquia.
Authorities expect the section to be completed by the end of 2026, allowing the full route between Medellín and Colombia’s Caribbean coast to open in early 2027.
