The corridor impacts more than 30 municipalities in the departments of Antioquia, Caldas and Risaralda.
The Colombian Chamber of Infrastructure, together with the managers of the Pacífico 1, 2 and 3 concessions, have presented a report on the progress of the works that link the port of Buenaventura with the Urabá Antioqueño region. These works cover a total of 292.7 kilometers of highway, distributed in 50.2 kilometers for Pacífico, 1,96.5 kilometers for Pacífico 2 and 146 kilometers for Pacífico 3.
This corridor, which belongs to the Covipacífico concession, is 96% complete, but there are still several sections missing, including 400 meters between Titiribí and Amagá.
This corridor, of utmost strategic importance, facilitates foreign trade and efficiently links the three sections of the Pacific, reducing travel times for both regular users and transporters throughout the country. Likewise, it offers a direct connection between the production and consumption centers with the port of Buenaventura, preventing cargo vehicles from having to enter the municipal urban centers.
Pacífico 2 was delivered in 2021 and Risaralda will also be able to approach ports on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.
Pacific Three
Although the roads corresponding to Pacífico 1 and 2 are also of utmost importance for the tourist and commercial development of Risaralda, it is the Pacífico Tres Concession that connects various municipalities of the department with Antioquia and Caldas. Of the 146 km length of this road, 12 km correspond to the section that goes from La Virginia to the Trumpet Intersection:
“They are very important kilometers because there is a very interesting and very ambitious proposal from the department of Risaralda for the realization of the Logistics Platform of the Coffee Axis (PLEC) that we believe is a fundamental factor of development, everything it contains is a project that is key for regional development, which has a lot to do with the meaning of the completion of the Pacífico 3 works because in reality what these roads want is to generate development,” indicated Santiago Pérez, manager of the Pacífico Concession. Three.
Santiago Pérez, manager of Pacífico 3 Concession.
Currently, the Pacífico Tres works are completely finished, after five years of work, the corridor that connects La Felisa with La Pintada (46.2 km), the only one that was 99% complete in January of this year, has been completed his work. This important corridor has more than 61 bridges, 4 tolls, 8 intersections, 43 third lane overtaking points and a total investment of $1.86 billion. In addition, its connection with Balboa, Santuario, La Celia and La Virginia further strengthens its importance as a vital route for the region:
“About two months ago we gave CARDER and the municipality 30 hectares of environmental compensation on some of the department’s properties. Risaralda has been fundamental in Pacífico 3 and in this entire logistics corridor, the strategic location that Risaralda has, fundamentally with the department of Valle and Caldas, make it a fundamental point in our corridor. I also believe that the development of a municipality like La Virginia is going to be fundamental thanks to Pacífico Tres,” Pérez indicated.
Goodbye to stop and go
Another of the milestones that marked the Pacífico Tres Concession was the completion of the stop-and-go points: “Today we have good news, this corridor managed to have 21 stop-and-go points. For two months now, Pacífico 3 has no longer had any stoppages and continues with the completion of the works. We have seen how traffic has increased and how the users of our lives are increasingly happy and happy, seeing the reduction in times that the corridor is generating today by having the works completed,” concluded the manager.
Pacific 3 Benefits
1. Savings in travel times:
One (1) hour and 25 minutes between La Pintada (Antioquia) and Buenaventura (Valle del Cauca). One (1) hour and 15 minutes between La Virginia (Risaralda) and La Pintada (Antioquia).
30 minutes between La Pintada (Antioquia) and La Manuela (Caldas).
2. Free services:
Mechanics: 5 cranes, and 2 workshop cars.
Emergencies: three medical ambulances, 112 SOS posts (60 in the tunnel and 52 in the open sky).
Logistics: 2 service areas for customer service.
An operation control center.
Ana María Cuartas, executive director of the Pereira Improvement Society – ProRisaralda, emphasized the importance of the national and international freight corridor, highlighting the positive impact that the works have in Risaralda and Caldas. In particular, she highlighted the relevance of the Pacífico 3 concession, which allows the logistics corridors necessary for the development of the region to materialize. On the other hand, Juan Diego Ortiz, secretary of the Colombian Confederation of Transporters, urged the national government to complete the allocation of resources to complete these roads, underlining their vital importance for the progress of transportation.