G&O culminates excavation of the underground tunnel in Parques del Río Medellín

G&O, Guinovart Obras y Servicios Hispania Sucursal Colombia, OHL Group’s railway infrastructure subsidiary, has culminated excavation of the underground tunnel in Phase 1A, Parques del Río Medellín. The excavation process began two months ago, simultaneously excavating both sides, north and south of the site, 24 hours a day. During this period, 120,000 m³ of earth have been removed, with the help of 71 dump trucks and 6 dozer machines. 

In February 2015, G&O was awarded the first stage in the Parques del Río Medellín project, an initiative launched by the City Council to turn Medellín into an environmentally sustainable city and to improve mobility. The project’s activities include the burying of the Autopista Sur Toll Road along a 426 m stretch, increasing the number of existing lanes from four to seven and constructing two pedestrian bridges over the Medellín River. The budget of the project awarded to G&O totals 58.6 million euros, to be executed over an 11-month term.

The project, which is 70% completed, will promote development in this area of Medellín’s largest park and has generated many jobs.

With this milestone, G&O is evidencing its commitment to development in Colombia and Medellín, where it has been executing large infrastructure projects since 2008. Thus, last October, the Medellín Tramway was inaugurated -Latin America’s first modern tramway system- executed by G&O and 4.3 km long, with a gradient of up to 12.5%, the steepest in the world’s tramway systems. 

Furthermore, the OHL Group is also participating in construction of the 400 MW El Quimbo hydroelectrical plant. In turn, in December 2014, the first concession contract was signed in Colombia -the Río Magdalena Toll Road- 144 km long. In addition to these contracts, last May the company was awarded a section of the Metroplús Itagüí line. This new road corridor, 1.7 km long, has been constructed in order to decongest Itagüí’s central roads, providing citizens with a high volume transportation system.