The authorities of the Capital District and the Government of Cundinamarca have arranged a special operational device to coordinate the return of travelers during the afternoon and evening of this holiday Monday, August 17.
Given the high volume of vehicles expected, the District Mobility Secretariat (SDM) and the Contemporary Mobility Secretariat of Cundinamarca have activated management schemes with the Traffic Police to avoid traffic jams on the nine access corridors.
According to official estimates for this rest period, the corridor of the South Highway via Soacha will register traffic of about 197,000 vehicles. Meanwhile, the La Mesa road will count the movement of approximately 143,000 vehicles heading towards the Bogotá savannah.
Fernanda Bautista, director of Sectoral Policy of the Contemporary Mobility Secretariat, explained in the publication of the Bogotá Mayor’s Office the mobility dynamics arranged for the day: “For the holiday Monday, August 17, we will implement our usual reversible lanes on the La Mesa road corridor, from 10:00 a.m. until midnight, and on Indumil Avenue, in the municipality of Soacha, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Also, the regional peak and plate will be in effect on the holiday Monday on the main entry corridors to the city of Bogotá. We appreciate you taking into account that, due to the current conditions of the country, during this weekend priority will be given to cargo vehicles. Therefore, we recommend planning your trips.”
Regional peak and plate on the nine accesses to the capital
During the day of this holiday Monday, circulation restrictions apply for the entry of private vehicles into the city. The measure applies simultaneously on the North Highway, South Highway, Centenario Avenue (13th Street), 80th Street Avenue, Seventh Avenue, Boyacá Avenue and Vía al Llano, Suba-Cota Road, La Calera Road and Choachí Road.
The authorized time slots and plates operate under the following distribution:
- From 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.: Only cars with plates ending in odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, and 9) are allowed entry.
- From 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m.: Only vehicles with plates ending in even numbers (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8) are allowed entry.
- Outside these blocks (before 12:00 noon and after 8:00 p.m.): All private vehicles can circulate freely without restriction.
Reversibles for entry to Bogotá today, August 17
To mitigate high congestion at the southern and western accesses, the Traffic Police carry out one-way maneuvers and traffic light regulation:
Soacha Corridor: A reversible scheme is activated on Indumil Avenue and from the intersection of Canoas Avenue to San Marón Avenue (Mondoñedo – Soacha direction) between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Additionally, between Bosa Station and the La Sevillana sector on Boyacá Avenue, intermittent traffic lights are applied to speed up vehicle flow.
It is worth remembering that the South Highway has a reduction from three to two lanes between the entrance to Soacha in Maiporé and the 3M sector due to TransMilenio works.
La Mesa Road: A continuous reversible operates from Apulo (kilometer 32) to the Balsillas bridge in Mosquera (kilometer 113) from 10:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. On the route between Bogotá, La Mesa and Girardot, intermittent regulation points of the ‘stop and go’ type are applied.
Seventh Avenue: In the north of the capital, the counterflow operates in a one-way north-south direction from 245th Street to 183rd Street starting at 4:30 p.m., extending until 8:00 p.m. or 9:00 p.m., depending on traffic demand.
Vía al Llano: The Villavicencio-Bogotá corridor applies a reversible towards the capital from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. To guarantee this maneuver, the road is completely closed in the Bogotá-Villavicencio direction from 1:00 p.m. at the El Uval control point. Alternate single-lane passages are recorded due to works and contingencies in the Quebradablanca tunnel and at kilometers 18, 36, and 43.
Restrictions on cargo transport today, Monday, August 17
To prioritize the mobility of private cars during the return, the Ministry of Transport and the National Police maintain active mobility restrictions for cargo vehicles with capacity equal to or greater than 3.4 tons:
- Los Alpes – Villeta and Chuguacal – Cambao Corridors: Restriction in effect this Monday, August 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
- Chía – Mosquera – La Mesa – Girardot Corridor and Soacha Branch: Restriction in effect this Monday, August 17, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
The authorities recommend drivers to start early in their return trip to the capital, as the greatest traffic jam usually concentrates after 4:00 p.m.
*Article developed with AI support and reviewed by a journalist.
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