Antioquia Opens Toyo Tunnel, Boosting Medellín‑Urabá Road Link

Regional leaders in Antioquia inaugurated the Toyo Tunnel, a 9.7‑kilometre structure that will become the longest tunnel in Latin America. Governor Andrés Julián Rendón and Medellín Mayor Federico Gutiérrez highlighted the tunnel’s role as the backbone of a new corridor connecting Medellín to the Urabá coast, cutting travel time to the Caribbean Sea to about four hours. The ceremony also featured the newly elected President Abelardo de la Espriella, underscoring the project’s political significance.

The tunnel’s construction has proceeded despite the central government’s refusal to fund remaining electromechanical installations, a promise by President Gustavo Petro to divert resources to an Urabá water project. In response, the Antioquia government and Medellín municipality covered the costs to complete the missing segment, illustrating a shift toward regional financing and a challenge to Bogotá’s centralist model.