Concesionaria Vial Unión del Sur, led by Sacyr Concessions, has made the first section of the 4G road project between Rumichaca and Pasto (Colombia) operational. This 16.9 kilometre stretch of dual carriageway between Tangua and Catambuco together with 5.2 km of improvements between Catambuco and Pasto is 27% of the total length of the project.
The project includes the construction of a second 83 kilometre road between Pasto (capital of the Nariño Department) and Rumichaca (a town on the border with Ecuador), which will increase the country's competitiveness, the region's connectivity and boost the economic and social development of the communities in the area of influence. The planned construction investment is EUR 690 million.
Reduced travel time
Road users from Tangua to Pasto will save half the time usually spent on the journey.
To build the road, the concessionaire employed 729 people and 270 training sessions were carried out on environmental, social and occupational health and safety issues.
"For many years, the Pan-American Highway has connected the Nariño Department and Colombia with Ecuador, allowing a constant exchange of products, services and culture. Today, it has become the first high-capacity road in Nariño, making this dream a reality for the people of Nariño," said Germán de la Torre Lozano, Manager of Concesionaria Vial Unión del Sur.
Sacyr Concesiones has four 4G projects in Colombia, totalling 525 kilometres in length and a managed investment of EUR 2.2 billion.
Technical details of the section opened to traffic:
The section is divided into two:
• Tangua — Catambuco: The dual carriageway stretches for a total of 16.9 km, this includes 13.4 km of an adjoining second lane which is attached to the existing one, improvements to the existing roadway and 3.5 km of completely new dual carriageway.
o This section has four U-turn facilities and one pedestrian bridge.
o 3.25 million m3 of land removed.
o Installation of 5.885 m3 of concrete.
o 53.333 m3 of asphalt mixture.
Improvements to the Catambuco — Pasto • section, across 5.2 km of the existing roadway. Relocation of electrical, aqueduct and sewerage networks, and adaptation of the existing drainage system. Widening of the current roadway to 12.9 metres as per regulations: 3.65 metres per lane, 1.8 metres of road verge on each side and new 1 metre kerbs. In addition, some curves were adjusted to ensure the 60 km/h design of the project.
Moreover, the transfer and protection of networks, eight aqueducts, four sewers and five irrigation districts were also carried out to ensure the well-being of the populations in the area of influence.
The entire section has an information system which is linked through variable message panels, informative speed cameras, surveillance cameras, SOS posts to contact control centres, lights at junctions, U-turn facilities, pedestrian and vehicular bridges.
Collaboration with the local community
The concessionaire has collaborated with the local community in:
- 7 productive projects, benefiting 143 people.
- Supporting 11 entrepreneurship initiatives benefiting 244 people.
- Running 5 training courses in which 95 members of the surrounding communities participated.
- Community training
o Carrying out 14 campaigns and 46 road culture training sessions attended by 2548 people.
o Development of 71 education and awareness workshops on environmental issues, 4 health brigades and 5 civic-environmental workshops, benefiting 1031 people from the area of influence.;
For more information please visit: www.uniondelsur.co
