After three decades, the people of Bocas del Opón and the neighboring municipalities experienced a historical milestone with the inauguration of a key work that restores connectivity in one of the rural routes in the south of the department of Santander.
The deployment of the elements for the assembly of this bridge began on January 26 at the Military Fort of Tolemaida; for 3 days, 14 vehicles transported 140 tons of components for more than 470 kilometers to the construction site, demonstrating precise and effective logistics by Colombian National Army.
For 30 days, 27 soldiers worked during long activities to overcome not only the distance, but in the same way the heavy rainfall and the flow of the Quitara River, conditions that had historically thwarted the possibilities of a definitive solution to the isolation of these rural communities.
The modular structure type 3SBRIDGE, 64 meters length, with double reinforced configuration two extra-heavy and a bearing capacity of 52 tons, which was built on the river that crosses the village Bocas del Opón, municipality of La Paz, department of Santander, more than a metal structure represents the social and economic future of its inhabitants.
"The installation of this bridge will bring progress, facilitate the education of children, boost the trade in Cacao, livestock and bananas and give sick people a way to quickly reach higher-level health services, preventing journeys of up to five hours," said the mayor of La Paz, Cielo Diaz, underlining the direct impact that the work will have on the regional quality of life.
It is estimated that this project will benefit more than 25,000 people directly and indirectly, returning not only mobility, but security and tranquility to families who for decades lived at constant risk. According to its inhabitants, this zone has claimed the lives of 10 people, as said by Alis Cruz, an inhabitant of the sector: "This structure is a large wellbeing development for the communities. We will no longer have the anguish of lives being lost in that river."
The work was possible thanks to the coordinated management conducted by the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD), the Government of Santander and Colombian National Army of Colombia, institutions that prioritized this route as an axis of rural development and territorial equity.
This bridge not only restores a way: it reactivates local activities, strengthens production chains and works to increase timely access to basic services, integrating the municipalities of Landázuri, Vélez, Santa Helena del Opón and La Paz. Thus, the work becomes a catalyst for the revival of the south of Santander and a palpable demonstration of how engineering can change lives.
Today we not only conclude an engineering work, but we concretize the collective victory of a region that, through a decoration awarded by the mayor's office and the departmental government, recognizes the commitment, discipline and resilience of Military Engineers, demonstrating once again that the Colombian National Army is a strategic ally in the construction of peace, progress and social development.
Source: Press – National Army
