Highways in Colombia

Last updated
Map of the Colombia highway network. Mapa de Colombia (red vial).svg
Map of the Colombia highway network.
Freeway of Route 25 between Tulua and Andalucia, Valle del Cauca. In 2014 there were 2,279 kilometers of dual carriageway highways in Colombia. Ruta 25, entre Tulua-Andalucia, Colombia.jpg
Freeway of Route 25 between Tuluá and Andalucía, Valle del Cauca. In 2014 there were 2,279 kilometers of dual carriageway highways in Colombia.
Occidente tunnel, Antioquia. Tunel de Occidente.jpg
Occidente tunnel, Antioquia.
Pumarejo bridge over the Magdalena River, Barranquilla. IMG 0639.jpg
Pumarejo bridge over the Magdalena River, Barranquilla.

Colombian geography presents formidable challenges to roadbuilders, who need to integrate its largest production centers deep within the Andes with major ports in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. All of this creates a heavy premium to roadbuilding, compared with the cost of building highways in flat terrain. Therefore, the Colombian government is undertaking a great effort in order to improve the highway system, under the name of Fourth Generation Highways, with the intent of updating major roads to international safety and speed standards. This project will be funded through both public and private capital, with a total worth of nearly US$23 billion, accounting to a yearly investment of 3% of national GDP, improving or building a grand total of over 8.000 km of roads. [1] These roads are expected to improve Colombia's competitiveness in order to successfully take advantage of the many trade agreements signed in recent years. [2]

Contents

Highway safety in Colombia is enforced by the Highway Police, a unit of the National Police of Colombia. Colombia is crossed by the Pan-American Highway.

Primary routes

The main highways (with primary route numbers) include:

Western Trunk - National Route 25

Colombia is crossed by the Western Trunk highway (part of the Pan-American Highway) that connects to the south with Ecuador (where the highway is called the Sierra Trunk or Troncal de Sierra) and other South American countries. This international route connects to the national highway network on the Rumichaca Bridge in Nariño Department, which marks the international border between Colombia and Ecuador. From there and to the north, this road connects the cities of Pasto, Popayán, Cali, the Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis (Eje Cafetero or "Coffee Region"), Anserma, Medellín, Sincelejo and Barranquilla, where it connects to the Caribbean Transverse highway. [3] Difficulties arise in the Darién Gap between Panama and Colombia as there are no connections by land in Colombia with Central America and the rest of North America.

Magdalena Trunk - National Route 45

The Magdalena Trunk crosses the section between the town of San Miguel, Putumayo at the border with Ecuador and the point known as Y de Ciénaga, a few kilometers from the city of Santa Marta on the Caribbean Sea. The road runs parallel to the Magdalena River, mainly on its right bank. This pathway allows the integration of central Colombia with the system of ports located on its Caribbean coast as well as the ports of Cartagena, Barranquilla and Santa Marta. [3]

Caribbean Transverse - National Route 90

The Caribbean Transverse highway runs parallel to the Caribbean Sea coastline and joins the cities of Turbo (Antioquia) and Paraguachón (La Guajira), where it connects to the highway network in Venezuela. The highway connects the capital cities of this region: Montería, Sincelejo, Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa Marta and Riohacha. This route is also called Caribbean Trunk and connects to the Magdalena Trunk (National Route 45) in a place known as Y de Ciénaga, just 6 km from the town of Ciénaga (Magdalena) and the Western Trunk at two different points: in the municipality of Toluviejo (18 km from Sincelejo) and the city of Barranquilla. [4]

Buenaventura Transverse - Puerto Carreño - National Route 40

The Buenaventura Transverse highway connects the country's largest port with the Venezuelan border in Puerto Carreño. [5] Highway sections 06 (Bogotá - Villavicencio) and 07 (Villavicencio - Puerto López) are part of the Autopista al Llano ("Llano Tollway") section of the Buenaventura Transverse highway.

Central Trunk - National Route 45A

The Central Trunk highway connects the city of Bogotá with the departments of Boyacá and Santander. Major cities on this route include Zipaquirá, Chiquinquirá and Bucaramanga. The highway ends in the municipality of San Alberto, where it connects with the Magdalena Trunk highway (National Route 45).

North-Central Trunk - National Route 55

The North-Central Trunk highway begins in the village of La Caro in the town of Chía, connecting to Bogotá and Cundinamarca Department to the municipalities of Gachancipá, Tocancipá and Villapinzón. In Boyacá Department, the route changes to a north-south direction and later reaches Tunja, the capital of Boyacá Department. The highway continues through the towns of Paipa, Duitama and Soatá in Boyacá Department and Málaga in Santander Department. The highway terminates in Puerto Santander near the border with Venezuela.

Carretera Marginal de la Selva - National Route 65

Carretera Marginal de la Selva ("Jungle Border Highway") is an important South American route originally planned in 1963 to join the Amazon regions of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. In Colombia, this route begins at the San Miguel International Bridge (on the border with Ecuador) and follows the first stretch of the Magdalena Trunk highway to the municipality of Villa, where National Route 65 turns north toward the right side of the Cordillera Oriental mountains. The highway is scheduled to be extended to Saravena on the border with Venezuela; however, the section between Mina Blanca and La Uribe is not built yet, so the highway is currently divided into two sections. The southern section is also known as the Forest Trunk section and the northern section is known as the Llano Trunk section.

Other routes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Colombia</span> Overview of the geography of Colombia

The Republic of Colombia is situated largely in the north-west of South America, with some territories falling within the boundaries of Central America. It is bordered to the north-west by Panama; to the east by Brazil and Venezuela; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; and it shares maritime limits with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Colombia</span>

Transport in Colombia is regulated by the Ministry of Transport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boyacá Department</span> Department of Colombia

Boyacá is one of the thirty-two departments of Colombia, and the remnant of Boyacá State, one of the original nine states of the "United States of Colombia".

The project of the Pan-American highway began approximately in or before 1923. The main idea was to create a network of wide roads that would connect major points of interest in North and South America with a single highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Marta</span> District and city in Caribbean Region, Colombia

Santa Marta, officially the Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta, is a port city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena Department and the fourth-largest urban city of the Caribbean Region of Colombia, after Barranquilla, Cartagena, and Soledad. Founded on July 29, 1525, by the Spanish conqueror Rodrigo de Bastidas, it was one of the first Spanish settlements in Colombia, its oldest surviving city, and second oldest in South America. This city is situated on a bay by the same name and as such, it is a prime tourist destination in the Caribbean region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cesar Department</span> Department of Colombia

Cesar Department or simply Cesar is a department of Colombia located in the north of the country in the Caribbean region, bordering to the north with the Department of La Guajira, to the west with the Department of Magdalena and Department of Bolivar, to the south with Department of Santander, to the east with the Department of North Santander, and further to the east with the country of Venezuela. The department capital city is Valledupar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolívar's campaign to liberate New Granada</span> Military campaign in Venezuelan War of Independence (1819–1820)

Bolívar's campaign to liberate New Granada also known as the Liberation Campaign of 1819 was part of the Colombian and Venezuelan wars of independence and was one of the many military campaigns fought by Simón Bolívar. Bolívar's victory in New Granada secured the eventual independence of northern South America. It provided Bolívar with the economic and human resources to complete his victory over the Spanish in Venezuela and Colombia. Bolívar's attack on New Granada is considered one of the most daring in military history, compared by contemporaries and some historians to Hannibal's or Napoleon's crossing of the Alps in 1800 and José San Martín's Crossing of the Andes in 1817.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Villavicencio</span> Municipality and city in Orinoquía, Colombia

Villavicencio is a city and municipality in Colombia. The capital of Meta Department, it was founded on April 6, 1840. The municipality had a population of 531,275 in 2018. The city is located at 4°08'N, 73°40'W, 75 km southeast of the Colombian capital city of Bogotá (DC) by the Guatiquía River. It is the most important commercial center in the Llanos Orientales of Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caribbean region of Colombia</span>

The Caribbean region of Colombia or Caribbean coast region is in the north of Colombia and is mainly composed of 8 departments located contiguous to the Caribbean. It's the second most populated region in the country after Andean Region with approximately 11 million residents according to the Colombian Census 2018. The area covers a total land area of 110,000 km2 (42,000 sq mi), including the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina in the Caribbean Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta</span>

The Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta is the largest of the swampy marshes located in Colombia between the Magdalena River and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. It has an area of 4280 km2 and belongs to the outer delta system of the Madgalena River. It is separated from the Caribbean Sea by a narrow, sandy artificial spit built in the 1950s, on which is situated coastal route 90 from Barranquilla to Santa Marta. The marsh's large lagoon is connected to the Caribbean Sea via a narrow strait located between the town of Pueblo Viejo and the city of Ciénaga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Colombia</span>

The contribution of travel and tourism to GDP was US$5,880.3bn in 2016. Tourism generated 556,135 jobs in 2016. Foreign tourist visits were predicted to have risen from 0.6 million in 2007 to 4 million in 2017. Responsible tourism became a peremptory need for Colombia because it minimizes negative social, economic and environmental impacts and makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natural regions of Colombia</span>

Because of its natural structure, Colombia can be divided into six distinct natural regions. These consist of the Andean Region, covering the three branches of the Andes mountains found in Colombia; the Caribbean Region, covering the area adjacent to the Caribbean Sea; the Pacific Region adjacent to the Pacific Ocean; the Orinoquía Region, part of the Llanos plains mainly in the Orinoco river basin along the border with Venezuela; the Amazon Region, part of the Amazon rainforest; and finally the Insular Region, comprising the islands in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Colombia is located in South America.

Arab Colombians refers to Arab immigrants and their descendants in the Republic of Colombia. Most of the migrants came from Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Palestine. When they were first processed in the ports of Colombia, they were classified as Turks because what is now Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine were then territories of the Ottoman Empire. It is estimated that Colombia has a Lebanese population of 3.2 million. Meanwhile the Palestine population is estimated between 100,000-120,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of Colombia</span>

Geology of Colombia refers to the geological composition of the Republic of Colombia that determines its geography. Most of the emerged territory of Colombia covers vast areas within the South American plate, whereas much submerged territory lies within the Caribbean plate and the Nazca plate.

Lebanese Colombians are Colombians of Lebanese descent. Most of the Lebanese community's forebears immigrated to Colombia from the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for economic, political and religious reasons. The first Lebanese moved to Colombia in the late nineteenth century. There was another wave in the early twentieth century. It is estimated that over 10,000 Lebanese immigrated to Colombia from 1900 to 1930.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magdalena campaign</span> 1812-1813 military operation in New Granada

The Magdalena campaign was a military operation from late 1812 to early 1813, led by the independentists Simón Bolívar and Pierre Labatut against royalists and the crown of Spain in New Granada. The campaign resulted in the revolutionary United Provinces of New Grenada taking control of the Magdalena River, which connects the port city of Cartagena with the interior of Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hernán Pérez de Quesada</span> Spanish conquistador

Hernán Pérez de Quesada, sometimes spelled as Quezada, was a Spanish conquistador. Second in command of the army of his elder brother, Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada, Hernán was part of the first European expedition towards the inner highlands of the Colombian Andes. The harsh journey, taking almost a year and many deaths, led through the modern departments Magdalena, Cesar, Santander, Boyacá, Cundinamarca and Huila of present-day Colombia between 1536 and 1539 and, without him, Meta, Caquetá and Putumayo of Colombia and northern Peru and Ecuador between 1540 and 1542.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Frontal Fault System</span>

The Eastern Frontal Fault System is a megaregional system of oblique and thrust faults cross-cutting Colombia from Ecuador in the south to Venezuela in the north. The system from south to north covers ten out of 32 departments of Colombia; Nariño, Putumayo, Cauca, Huila, Caquetá, Cundinamarca, Meta, Boyacá, Casanare and Arauca. The Eastern Frontal Fault System underlies and affects the capitals of Putumayo, Mocoa, Caquetá, Florencia, Meta, Villavicencio and Casanare, Yopal. The fault system has a total length of 921.4 kilometres (572.5 mi) with a cumulative length of the faults of 1,821.8 kilometres (1,132.0 mi) and runs along an average northeast to southwest strike of 042.1 ± 19 bordering and crossing the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. The fault system forms the boundary between the North Andes microplate and the South American Plate.

References

  1. http://www.ani.gov.co/sites/default/files/cuarta_generacion_de_concesiones_luis_fernando_andrade_moreno.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  2. http://www.tlc.gov.co/publicaciones.php?id=5398
  3. 1 2 "DIMENSIÓN URBANO REGIONAL" (PDF) (in Spanish). CORANTIOQUIA. Retrieved 2008-06-24.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. "Ciudades portuarias del Caribe colombiano: propuestas para competir en una economía globalizada" (PDF) (in Spanish). Banco de la Republica. Retrieved 2008-07-28.
  5. Juriscol (August 2001). "DECRETO NUMERO 1735 DE 2001" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2009-07-13.[ permanent dead link ]