Residents in Neiva are alarmed by the deterioration of a section of Avenida Circunvalación near Puente Torcido after the suspension of improvement works on about 130 meters. The city's Infrastructure and Roads Secretariat blames the halt on awaiting a ruling from the National Planning Department to address a funding shortfall. Local council members call for urgent action as road conditions worsen due to rains.
The halt in works on Avenida Circunvalación, near Puente Torcido, has raised alarms among Neiva residents over the hazards posed by the deteriorated stretch. This roughly 130-meter section features deep potholes, damage to the median and pedestrian areas, worsened by rainwater pools and poor nighttime lighting, as reported by local residents.
Infrastructure and Roads Secretary Germán Darío Sánchez stated that the suspension stems from a pending national administrative and financial process. The project was included in a 2020-2023 contract worth 16 billion pesos, funded by royalties for citywide road improvements, but now faces a resource deficit blocking progress. “We are awaiting a concept from the National Planning Department (DNP) on what we can do,” Sánchez said. He added: “We need the DNP to indicate if it is viable or not to inject resources from another funding source to complete this project. I cannot finance a single project with funds from different categories without clear authorization.”
In the meantime, the municipal administration notes that works remain paused pending materials to resume. In the City Council, councilor Jesús Andrés Garzón voiced broad concerns over the critical state of roads, particularly during the rainy season when potholes have proliferated. Garzón pointed out that no maintenance materials have arrived in over a month, blaming contractor failures despite approved funds from a 16 billion peso loan.
For the specific stretch, Garzón described a complex legal issue from the untimely contract execution, preventing reinvestment without patrimonial harm. The legal office and secretary are seeking a legal mechanism to address it, emphasizing the need for immediate repairs as a key southern city entry. Despite constraints, Garzón acknowledged Sánchez's efforts with limited resources and pledged material delivery next week to tackle the road emergency before the December season.