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. These roads are expected to improve Colombia's competitiveness in order to successfully take advantage of the many trade agreements signed in recent years.
Highway safety in Colombia is enforced by the
Highway Police, a unit of the
National Police of Colombia
The National Police of Colombia (Spanish: ''Policía Nacional de Colombia'') is the national police force of the Republic of Colombia. Although the National Police is not part of the Military Forces of Colombia (Army, Navy, and Air Force), it ...
. Colombia is crossed by the
Pan-American Highway
The Pan-American Highway (french: (Auto)route panaméricaine/transaméricaine; pt, Rodovia/Auto-estrada Pan-americana; es, Autopista/Carretera/Ruta Panamericana) is a network of roads stretching across the Americas and measuring about in to ...
.
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
The Pan-American Highway (french: (Auto)route panaméricaine/transaméricaine; pt, Rodovia/Auto-estrada Pan-americana; es, Autopista/Carretera/Ruta Panamericana) is a network of roads stretching across the Americas and measuring about in to ...
) that connects to the south with
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
(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
Pasto, officially San Juan de Pasto (; "Saint John of Pasto"), is the capital of the department of Nariño, in southern Colombia. Pasto was founded in 1537 and named after indigenous people of the area. In the 2018 census, the city had app ...
,
Popayán
Popayán () is the capital of the Colombian department of Cauca. It is located in southwestern Colombia between the Western Mountain Range and Central Mountain Range. It has a population of 318,059 people, an area of 483 km2, is locate ...
,
Cali, the
Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis
The Colombian coffee region ( es, Eje Cafetero), also known as the Coffee Triangle ( es, Triángulo del Café) is a part of the Paisa region in the rural area of Colombia. It is famous for growing and producing the majority of Colombian coffee ...
(''Eje Cafetero'' or "Coffee Region"),
Anserma,
Medellín,
Sincelejo
Sincelejo () is the capital and largest city of the Colombian department of Sucre. It is also the main city in the denominated '' Región Sabanas'' (Savannas Region), a subdivision of the Caribbean Region of Colombia, and the 23rd largest ci ...
and
Barranquilla, where it connects to the Caribbean Transverse highway.
Difficulties arise in the
Darién Gap
The Darién Gap (, , es, Tapón del Darién , ) is a geographic region between the North and South American continents within Central America, consisting of a large watershed, forest, and mountains in Panama's Darién Province and the norther ...
between
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
and Colombia as there are no connections by land in Colombia with
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
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 Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
. The road runs parallel to the
Magdalena River
The Magdalena River ( es, Río Magdalena, ; less commonly ) is the main river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of ...
, 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.
Caribbean Transverse - National Route 90
The Caribbean Transverse highway runs parallel to the Caribbean Sea coastline and joins the cities of
Turbo
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pr ...
(Antioquia) and
Paraguachón (La Guajira), where it connects to the highway network in
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. The highway connects the capital cities of this region:
Montería
Montería () is a municipality and city located in northern Colombia and is the capital of the Department of Córdoba. The city is located away from the Caribbean sea, by the Sinú River. The city and region are known for their distinct cultur ...
, Sincelejo, Cartagena, Barranquilla, Santa Marta and
Riohacha
Riohacha (; Wayuu: ) is a city in the Riohacha Municipality in the northern Caribbean Region of Colombia by the mouth of the Ranchería River and the Caribbean Sea. It is the capital city of the La Guajira Department. It has a sandy beach waterfr ...
. 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
Toluviejo is a town and municipality located in the Sucre Department, northern Colombia.
References
Gobernacion de Sucre - Toluviejo Cafe Internet Toluviejo Sucre - compuserver
Sucre
Sucre () is the capital of Bolivia, the capital of th ...
(18 km from Sincelejo) and the city of Barranquilla.
Buenaventura Transverse - Puerto Carreño - National Route 40
The Buenaventura Transverse highway connects the country's largest port with the Venezuelan border in
Puerto Carreño
Puerto Carreño () is the departmental capital, and a municipality, of the department of Vichada in the Llanos of Colombia.
History
In 1913 the Colombian government created the province (comisaria) of Vichada and it was decided that its capital ...
.
Highway sections 06 (Bogotá -
Villavicencio
Villavicencio () is a city and municipality in Colombia. Capital of Meta Department, it was founded on April 6, 1840. The city had an urban population of approximately 531,275 inhabitants in 2018.https://www.dane.gov.co/files/varios/informacio ...
) 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
Santander may refer to:
Places
* Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain
* Santander Department, a department of Colombia
* Santander State, former state of Colombia
* Santander de Quilichao, a m ...
. Major cities on this route include
Zipaquirá
Zipaquirá () is a municipality and city of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca. Its neighboring municipalities are Cogua and Nemocón to the north; Tocancipá to the east; Tabio, Cajicá and Sopó to the south; and Subachoque and ...
,
Chiquinquirá and
Bucaramanga
Bucaramanga () is the capital and largest city of the department of Santander, Colombia. Bucaramanga has the fifth-largest economy by GDP in Colombia, has the lowest unemployment rate and has the ninth-largest population in the country, with 6 ...
. 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
Tunja () is a city on the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, in the region known as the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, 130 km northeast of Bogotá. In 2018 it had a population of 172,548 inhabitants. It is the capital of Boyacá departmen ...
, the capital of Boyacá Department. The highway continues through the towns of
Paipa
Paipa is a town and municipality in the Tundama Province, a part of the Colombian Departments of Colombia, department of Boyacá Department, Boyacá. Paipa borders Duitama, Firavitoba, Tibasosa, Sotaquirá and Tuta, Boyacá, Tuta. ,
Duitama
Duitama () is a city and municipality in the department of Boyacá. It is the capital of the Tundama Province. Duitama is located northeast of Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia and northeast of Tunja, the capital Boyacá. Duitama has ex ...
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 America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...
n route originally planned in 1963 to join the
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...
regions of
Bolivia,
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
, 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
A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...
, where National Route 65 turns north toward the right side of the
Cordillera Oriental mountains. The highway is scheduled to be extended to
Saravena
Saravena is a city and municipality in Arauca Department, Colombia. It is south of Colombia's border with Venezuela. The area of about 47,000 people near the Venezuelan border has had FARC and ELN activity as well as a Colombian military presenc ...
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.
References
External links
Colombian ministry of TransportINVIAS official website*{{in lang, es}
Board of Infrastructure of Colombia