La linea
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La linea (English: The Line) is a planned highway tunnel tunnel in Colombia. It will cross the famous "Alto de La linea", situated between the cities of Calarca, Quindio and Cajamarca, Tolima. Currently pilot tunnel is under construction, as of March 2007 drilling has taken place from both sides in order to meet in the middle, drilling has advanced 1,496 meters from Calarca, and 2,895 meters from Cajamarca[citation needed]. The total length of the tunnel will be 8,580 meters[citation needed]. This will make it the longest tunnel built in the country. In September 2007 Ministry of Transport launched the tender process for the construction of tunnel and connecting roads.[1]. Construction work is expected to begin in 2008 and finish in 2013.
[edit] Benefits
Some of the benefits include lower operation costs ($37 Million US in the first year), shorter travel time and reduction in the number of accidents. Due to the difficult terrain that will be avoided, $37 Million US should be saved in operating costs in the first year. Furthermore, travel time will increase as average speed increases from its current 18.2 kilometers/hour to 60 kilometers/hour. For heavy vehicles, travel times can be decreased by 80 minutes, and 40 minutes for light vehicles. This section is also currently one of the stretches in the country most prone to accidents (four times the national average) due to its geography and climate. The tunnel could bring the stretch down to the average. Total economic benefits are estimated to be $40 million US per annum.
