Mudslides block key highway in Colombia

Mudslides once again blocked the route between Bogotá and the city of Villavicencio (Meta department), one of Colombia’s main highways, following a week of heavy rains.

Infrastructure agency ANI said both the government and concessionaire Coviandes are working to clear up the sections that were blocked by mud and rocks.

“So far mitigation works are being carried out at critical points…but due to the winter wave, mudslides were seen at Kilometer 58 (near the municipality of Guayabetal),” the agency said in a press release.

But according to Coviandes, further mudslides and rains forced the suspension of cleanup works. The road closure triggered criticism from the country’s main cargo transportation guild Colfecar.

“This situation is an attack on the sector’s productivity, since the cost overruns that we must face due to the frequent closures of the Bogotá-Villavicencio road can reach 150% as the alternative routes for transporters involve 437km more via the old route,” Colfecar CEO Juan Carlos Rodríguez said in a press release.

The guild demanded a permanent solution to the climate-related closures frequently seen during the winter. It argued that on average the road is closed 462 times per year but did not specify for how long the closures remained in place.