When will the new Juanchito Bridge be ready?

The new Juanchito Bridge, which will link the Cali-Candelaria Highway, will be delivered in October 2019 and not next April, as originally planned. This was announced by the Ministry of Infrastructure of the Valley.

Delays in property acquisition, design change and archaeological discovery of an old wharf that existed many years ago on the Cauca River were obstacles that delayed the delivery of the works.

As explained by Jorge Amézquita, representative of Amézquita – Naranjo, the company that executes the project, the demolition of the remains of this wharf, found last September, is the last hurdle to overcome.

Read also: The Juanchito Bridge will have seismic isolators for added security

"The archaeological discovery is located on the B axis of work, in the area of ​​Puerto Nuevo, on the Cali side.At present, we are removing the remains and hope to finish in December.That is what has delayed the sector and therefore the product, "explained the engineer.

Before work

Jorge Amézquita pointed out that the foundation of the bridge is already ready in three of its four axes (A, C and D) and that it is only necessary to finish that of B. The pilot n ° 32 is being excavated and poses several problems, among which, constant sinkholes due to the instability of the earth ".

In addition, Miguel Ángel Muñoz, infrastructure secretary of Valle del Cauca, added that work is under way to finalize the "slower and more complicated" infrastructure processes.

"We are finishing building pillars and abutments, we have also placed seismic isolators and are currently carrying out embankment conformations in the access section," Muñoz said.

The department's infrastructure manager added that the only remaining access to the work schedule is access to the bridge, which is responsible for communicating this structure with the Cali-Candelaria road.

"The Invías guarantee the resources for the construction of the same for nearly 26 000 million dollars.The idea is that by the end of 2019, the bridge is ready, as well as the access roads and the road to four-way Cali-Candelaria, "said Muñoz.

However, some people in the areas surrounding the construction doubted that the government could meet these deadlines.

"I really see the very rude work, they have not even finished buying the properties they are missing, and that's why it takes them about a year to pay for all the paperwork," said Carlos Cifuentes, veedor of the municipal mediator and head of the district of Puerto Mallarino. East of the city.

Project details

The work, entrusted to the Gobernación del Valle and the Unión Temporal Juanchito (formed by Amézquita Naranjo Ingeniería – Calderón Ingenieros and S & M Ingeniería SAS), represents an investment of approximately 28 000 million dollars.

The new bridge will have a length of 200 meters, four lanes in each direction and a height of 12 meters. In addition, it will have platforms and a road splitter.

Its construction began in November 2016 and it was felt that it would be ready by the end of this year.

It should also be noted that this work will be complemented by the two-lane extension of the 17.4-kilometer Cali-Candelaria road from the Juanchito bridge to the cruise of the neighboring municipality.

House breakdowns

At least 12 houses in the Puerto Nuevo sector, where the Juanchito bridge is under construction, have structural effects due to the vibrations of the machines with which the works are being built.

"The government has committed six months ago to repair them and, until now, it has not complied," said Carlos Cifuentes.