Relatives, loved ones and inhabitants of Barrancabermeja arrived at the scene of the accident and closed the roads in the ‘Public Works’ sector to reject the way in which Elizabeth Durán Matute, 9 years old, died as a result of a traffic accident at 9 :00 am, this Wednesday, April 17.
The girl traveled as a griller on a motorcycle with license plate WBU-82G, which was driven by her mother. For reasons that are being investigated, she died after being hit by a tanker truck in the ‘Paso Nivel’ sector.
Witnesses to the incident tried to help the girl without success, but death was immediate after suffering exposure of the brain mass. Her mother was injured and she did not want to be taken to a medical center.
With candles, prayers and petitions to the local, departmental and national government, they demanded the completion of the works on the ‘Vía a Yuma’ that would allow heavy traffic to be diverted along this road corridor and thus avoid more tragedies in the ‘Paso Nivel’ sector.
“No more deaths, today was my nine-year-old daughter, starting to live. I ask the authorities to make the ‘Vía a Yuma’ a reality and stop collecting the dead from the tractor trailers in Barrancabermeja,” said the little girl’s father.
Elizabeth Durán Matute became the 11th fatality in the sector known as ‘Paso Nivel’ and Postobón in Barrancabermeja. In response to this accident, citizens blocked the passage of heavy-duty vehicles in the ‘Public Works’ sector.
“These types of tragedies are repeated and will continue to occur until the Highway to Yuma is delivered, which is where heavy vehicles must travel so as not to affect the path of motorcyclists and pedestrians through this residential area. We request a response from the authorities, we do not want more deaths,” said one of the protesters.
For his part, Samuel Camaño, cargo transporter, regretted the accident, but asked that the transportation union not be attacked, nor that its vehicles be vandalized.
“We have to pass through here, because they have not finished the Yuma road variant. There are a few kilometers left. They cannot retaliate. On this road, motorcyclists are very reckless. “They suddenly invade the road,” said the transporter.
The community in this area, since last December, requested a constant presence by traffic agents.
“You don’t see a traffic police officer, you don’t see a traffic light, you don’t see anything, I don’t know who will be in charge of that, they should place a traffic officer or a traffic light there to avoid serious accidents,” said Carlos Arturo Ramírez. , inhabitant of the sector.
Ecopetrol responds
Regarding the status of the Yuma highway, Ecopetrol reported that the project is being executed within the framework of the Inter-administrative Agreement signed between Invías, the Government of Santander, the District of Barrancabermeja and Ecopetrol, where the oil company plays the role of executing entity in a road connection of approximately 30 kilometers, which connects the Ruta del Sol and the Guillermo Gaviria bridge.
The total investment to date is $462 billion, of which Ecopetrol has contributed 65%.
Currently, 24.7 kilometers are built and operating, including five road interchanges. In 2023, three kilometers of road in sector 1, which connects the Virgen interchange with the Boston neighborhood, were completed and the resources were secured for the completion of the last 1.3 kilometers, which will begin construction in May and are projected to be completed. in November of this year, completing a 26 km passable and operational road connection.
This completes the construction of the sectors that have property, environmental, technical and financial viability. With the purpose of completing the project, the allies of the agreement define strategies to obtain the viability of the last 4-kilometer road section and be able to begin its construction.
