A Senate working session opened the possibility for Pitalito to join municipalities with a differential toll rate at the Laberinto toll in Hobo. Mayor Yider Luna hailed the news as a victory, while criticizing the initial exclusion of the municipality. Discussions also covered reducing traffic lights in Gaviotas and progress on Ruta 45.
A working session in the Senate's Third Commission, sponsored by the Huila parliamentary bench, proposed including Pitalito among the 10 municipalities benefiting from a differential toll rate at the Laberinto toll in Hobo, operational for nearly two months. This measure, confirmed by the National Infrastructure Agency (ANI), would also apply discounts at the Los Cauchos toll in Campoalegre and Altamira. Mayor Yider Luna described Pitalito as 'the ugly duckling of this concession,' noting the municipality's high vehicle flow but initial exclusion.
Luna highlighted local issues, such as the lack of road variants and congestion in Gaviotas, home to over 50 exporting companies. He explained that funerals cause two-hour delays over three kilometers and that Avenida Pastrana requires urgent repairs, estimated at $60 billion, with the municipality able to co-finance $20 billion.
Concessionaire Ruta al Sur proposed reducing traffic lights in Gaviotas from eight to two, adding pedestrian bridges, after a study showing 31,500 daily vehicles, below initial projections of 47,200. General Manager Juan Carlos María stated final designs would be delivered in one month. For Garzón, a new one-kilometer road is planned, requiring land acquisition and environmental licensing.
ANI's Cecilia Muñoz reported corridor progress: 56 vehicular bridges, 4 pedestrian ones, 54.2 km of new roadway, and 4,076 direct jobs. Functional Unit One will finish mid-December, the Huila section by February 2025, and the full project by 2026. Senators like Carlos Julio González and Esperanza Andrade called for commitments with specific deadlines for solutions.