John Laing Group has announced another milestone on the Ruta del Cacao private-public partnership (PPP) project in Colombia, bringing overall progress on the construction to 53%. A further three functional units (sections 2,3 & 4) of the road have been put into service, representing 39 km of the double carriageway.

Ruta del Cacao is 236 km of the carriageway, connecting the cities of Bucaramanga, Barrancabermeja and Yondo in the Santander and Antioquia​ regions of Colombia, located in the north of the country. The project involves the design, construction, financing, operation, and maintenance of double lane road. The existing road is to be improved and rehabilitated, and new road carriageway to be developed running through ten municipalities - Bucaramanga, Lebrija, Girón, San Vicente de Chucurí, Sabana de Torres, Betulia, Barrancabermeja, and Yondó. The project also involves the construction of 34 new bridges and viaducts as well as two tunnels La Sorda and La Paz, 5.96 kilometers in length.

Upon completion, the road will reduce travel time from Barrancabermeja to Bucaramanga from the current two hours and twenty minutes to approximately one hour. It is estimated that the infrastructure will directly benefit 1.5 million inhabitants.

Ruta del Cacao is an important highway for the country. Commenting on this milestone, The President of Colombia, Ivan Duque, said “Santander requires connectivity and road infrastructure in optimal conditions, which allows us to continue building the country. Therefore, one of the great commitments for this region is the delivery of these 39 km of double carriageway in the 4G Bucaramanga-Barrancabermeja-Yondo project.”

Managing Director for the Latin America Region Alex Yew said, “I am delighted that we continue to meet these project milestones. This is a transformational project for Colombia, for John Laing and for our partners. Building a better connection between these cities improves the lives of the local communities and the experience of the road users. That is a key part of John Laing’s purpose. Well done to the teams involved for all their hard work to make it happen.”

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