Eastern road development is going in reverse. With the exception of those related to the José María Córdova airport, in this region there are practically no projects that respond to the overwhelming population and vehicle growth that the region has experienced. And much less, the one who is coming.
Well, there are projects, but they go up in smoke, they never materialize.
Read all of Juan Carlos Franco Gaviria’s columns here.
Yes, the interchange at the airport roundabout is advancing at a good pace, which would be completed by the end of 2025. Although the most important thing, which is the direct, elevated connection between the tunnel and the airport, could be put into service in about four months.
And work will soon begin on the second carriageway of the Eastern Tunnel, which would begin operating in four or five years. Very late, but we will finally correct the serious nonsense that such an important airport cannot be reached by a dual carriageway from the city.
For the rest of the East, only sadness. Let’s start with the Indiana roundabout, a critical point to connect the Aburrá and San Nicolás valleys. Narrow as few others, it collapses every morning and every weekend. That means endless lines on the Las Palmas highway and on the airport bypass. The exchange project exists, it is relatively simple, but at the moment it seems dead. He has no mourner.
Very serious, since several years of gradual worsening of traffic await us.
Read also: Very brief history of Eastern Antioquia (and 3)
And what happened to that interesting dual carriageway project between the top of the Vermont and Theodoro Herzl schools, and El Tablazo? It had a lot of display five years ago, ending the governorship of Luis Pérez. They gave us to understand that it was awarded, that it was already starting, that it would be extraordinary… and then, nothing. But nothing at all.
On the other hand, the possibility of having a dual carriageway on the two important roads leaving Indiana has already been lost: the one that leads to Llanogrande and the variant to the airport. We already filed that dream.
But are they not even going to have returns?
Between the Indiana toll and La Fe there is not one. Between Indiana and the airport there are two, one a few meters from Indiana and another at the tollbooth. But at least one is needed, every three kilometers. Otherwise, every overtaking, every entry or exit to the left is a high-risk maneuver.
Inconceivable, unacceptable, not having returns on roads of such importance.
Could it have to do with the fact that the edges of the road going down to the dam became an entire industrial and commercial area – probably illegal – dedicated to carpentry?
There are ideas, there is money or it can be found. But they fade with the passage of time. The concessionaires do not seem interested, the municipalities lack leadership and the departmental government is barely gaining confidence.
Meanwhile, the movement towards the East continues. The supply of new housing, shopping centers and services has skyrocketed.
But in terms of roads, nothing that changes the very modest dynamics of recent years.
Not even warm water wipes!
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