Túnel de Oriente
 Eastern portal | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Location | Antioquia Department, Colombia |
| Coordinates | 6°12′15″N 75°29′16″W / 6.204277314320949°N 75.48790416677184°W |
| Status | In service |
| Route | Medellin — Rionegro |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | 2015 |
| Opened | 15 August 2019 (initial segment) |
| Owner | Concesión Túnel Aburrá-Oriente |
| Traffic | automobile |
| Character | expressway, twin-tube |
| Toll | 23.800 COL$ (cars and vans) 24.100 COL$ (buses and two-axle trucks) |
| Technical | |
| Length | 8.2 km (5.1 mi) |
| No. of lanes | 2 per tube |
| Operating speed | 80 km/h |
The Túnel de Oriente is an 8.2-kilometre (5.1 mi) long
The tunnel is the second longest vehicular tunnel in Latin America, after the Tunel de la Línea, and is expected to be surpassed by the under-construction Toyo Tunnel, both of which are also in Colombia.
The entire project is made up of two tunnels—the main 8.2 km long tunnel and a shorter 774-metre (2,539 ft) long-tunnel—and nine viaducts. The initial phase, opened on August 15, 2019, comprises one two-lane tube carrying traffic in both directions. Its completion was delayed several times due mainly to leaks found during construction.[1] The total cost of the project was 1.1 trillion pesos.[1] A second tube is already under construction, after the completion of which each tube will carry two lanes of traffic in one direction.
The tunnel allows a travel time between José María Córdova International Airport and Medellín's city centre of around 45 minutes, compared to around 1 hour and 30 minutes via other toll-free itineraries around the mountains.
References
- ^ a b c d Peckham, Roberto (15 August 2019). "Medellin's Long-Awaited 'Tunel del Oriente' Finally Opens; Connects to JMC Airport". www.medellinherald.com. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
External links
- Official website (in Spanish)
- MEDELLIN’S LONG-AWAITED ‘TUNEL DEL ORIENTE' FINALLY OPENS; CONNECTS TO JMC AIRPORT medellinherald.com, 15 August 2019
- Colombia road and tunnel connection to Medellin Airport worldhighways.com, September 13, 2017