The Balseadero Viaduct connects the municipalities of Garzón and El Agrado, located in the Huila department of Colombia. It was inaugurated a few days ago, and its length of 1,708 meters makes it the longest in the country.
The new structure is part of the infrastructure replacement plan of the El Quimbo Hydroelectric Project, and replaces an old bridge that connected the two municipalities. However, its title as «Colombia’s longest viaduct» will be short-lived, as a new structure measuring 2.2 kilometers in length will soon be built near the Pumarejo River.
The new Balseadero Viaduct features a 52-metric-ton load capacity and is designed to provide maximum safety and durability. It features a total of 57 endorsements built on piles, and their construction was carried out using successive cantilevers of approximately 660 meters in length and using reinforced and post-tensioned beams.
Thanks to its design, it will improve mobility by allowing 800 vehicles to cross daily. It also features pedestrian walkways along its entire length to facilitate pedestrian traffic across the bridge. Furthermore, it will boost economic development and tourism in the Latin American region, and in terms of environmental impact, the El Quimbo Hydroelectric Project has invested 6 billion pesos intended for the ecological restoration of some 11,000 hectares.
The investment made amounted to approximately 73,000 million pesos and its construction has created about 500 jobs. The project began in 2013 and was completed in June of this year.
