The trip from Guayaquil to Machala, which normally lasts three hours, now takes four and even a little more due to the use of a detour enabled since March 7 due to the damage to the bridge over the Gala River in the Naranjal-Machala section.
Light vehicles use the alternative route San Carlos-Balao-Tenguel, while heavy transport uses the San Antonio-Tenguel highway.
Detours are enabled due to provisional closure in a section of the Naranjal-Tenguel road due to damage to the bridge over the Gala River
A few meters further on from the San Carlos UPC, two hours from Guayaquil, a sign announces the detour to the left. Until last Saturday, a watchman from the Ecuadorian Transit Commission (CTE) guided light vehicles along that road. This connection, in fact, is the only way to reach the province of El Oro.
Already on the detour road, which is completely paved, the road is full of vegetation. On both sides of the road there are cocoa fields and banana plantations. However, despite the good condition of the road, there are no signs, lights or agents controlling traffic. Drivers traverse this section at high speed.
Do not travel at night from Machala to Guayaquil or vice versa, they do not control that 40-minute detour and they can easily rob you.
– Josenrique (@McJosenrique) March 13, 2022
In about 20 minutes you reach the center of Balao, the detour leads to the central part of the canton. Then about 10 minutes later there is another detour. This, on the other hand, is only ballasted and some light vehicles, trucks and heavy cargo that come and go from Machala and Guayaquil cross through it.
The paved road also connects with the parish of Tenguel. Along the way, the main road artery of the canton is crossed where the Tenguel Educational Unit and the Malecón are located, among other places.
Ministry of Transportation will install the Bailey bridge to enable vehicular passage on the Guayaquil-Machala road
After almost 20 minutes, you reach the E25 road again. At the intersection, to get off the road to Tenguel, a kind of bottleneck was generated last weekend, since interprovincial, intercantonal buses, trucks and vehicles in general circulate along the same section. A few meters from leaving the detour, is the Camilo Ponce Enríquez parish, in the province of Azuay.
From that point to Machala there are 45 to 50 remaining minutes of travel.
On the return, from Machala to Guayaquil, the detour is the same, but with a variation that generates an additional 10 minutes of travel. In fact, this topic has been addressed by several users on social networks.
About 20 minutes after entering the road to Tenguel (an hour’s drive from Machala), instead, it is redirected to a ballasted road. Buses, trucks and vehicles in general that travel at high speed raise dust and generate a large cloud that makes vehicular traffic difficult.
On this road you travel around 30 to 35 minutes until you reach the E25, which leads to San Carlos. From there, the trip to Guayaquil takes about two hours, including two tolls.
The Ministry of Transport and Public Works (MTOP) indicated the previous week that a bailey bridge will be placed so that from next April 1 the Guayaquil-Machala road will be enabled and thus maintain connectivity on the South Panamericana. In addition, work is being done with the concessionaire Intervías on the construction of a final bridge, a work that will be carried out within eight months. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
