The main highways (with primary route numbers) include:
Western Trunk - National Route 25 Colombia is crossed by the Western Trunk highway (part of the
Pan-American Highway) that connects to the south with
Ecuador (where the highway is called the
Sierra Trunk or
Troncal de Sierra) and other South American countries. This international route connects to the national highway network on the Rumichaca Bridge in
Nariño Department, which marks the international border between Colombia and Ecuador. From there and to the north, this road connects the cities of
Pasto,
Popayán,
Cali, the
Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis (
Eje Cafetero or "Coffee Region"),
Anserma,
Medellín,
Sincelejo and
Barranquilla, where it connects to the Caribbean Transverse highway. Difficulties arise in the
Darién Gap between
Panama and Colombia as there are no connections by land in Colombia with
Central America and the rest of
North America.
Magdalena Trunk - National Route 45 The Magdalena Trunk crosses the section between the town of
San Miguel, Putumayo at the border with Ecuador and the point known as
Y de Ciénaga, a few kilometers from the city of
Santa Marta on the
Caribbean Sea. The road runs parallel to the
Magdalena River, mainly on its right bank. This pathway allows the integration of central Colombia with the system of ports located on its Caribbean coast as well as the ports of
Cartagena, Barranquilla and
Santa Marta.
Buenaventura Transverse - Puerto Carreño - National Route 40 The Buenaventura Transverse highway connects the country's largest port with the Venezuelan border in
Puerto Carreño. Highway sections 06 (Bogotá -
Villavicencio) and 07 (Villavicencio -
Puerto López) are part of the Autopista al Llano ("Llano Tollway") section of the Buenaventura Transverse highway.
Central Trunk - National Route 45A The Central Trunk highway connects the city of Bogotá with the departments of
Boyacá and
Santander. Major cities on this route include
Zipaquirá,
Chiquinquirá and
Bucaramanga. The highway ends in the municipality of
San Alberto, where it connects with the Magdalena Trunk highway (National Route 45).
North-Central Trunk - National Route 55 The North-Central Trunk highway begins in the village of La Caro in the town of
Chía, connecting to Bogotá and
Cundinamarca Department to the municipalities of
Gachancipá,
Tocancipá and
Villapinzón. In Boyacá Department, the route changes to a north-south direction and later reaches
Tunja, the capital of Boyacá Department. The highway continues through the towns of
Paipa,
Duitama and
Soatá in Boyacá Department and
Málaga in Santander Department. The highway terminates in
Puerto Santander near the border with Venezuela.
Carretera Marginal de la Selva - National Route 65 Carretera Marginal de la Selva ("Jungle Border Highway") is an important
South American route originally planned in 1963 to join the
Amazon regions of
Bolivia,
Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. In Colombia, this route begins at the San Miguel International Bridge (on the border with Ecuador) and follows the first stretch of the Magdalena Trunk highway to the municipality of
Villa, where National Route 65 turns north toward the right side of the
Cordillera Oriental mountains. The highway is scheduled to be extended to
Saravena on the border with Venezuela; however, the section between
Mina Blanca and
La Uribe is not built yet, so the highway is currently divided into two sections. The southern section is also known as the
Forest Trunk section and the northern section is known as the
Llano Trunk section.
Other routes •
National Route 1 •
National Route 3 ==References==