| Gerardo Barrios Bypass | |
|---|---|
| Periférico Gerardo Barrios | |
 Western terminus of the bypass (left road) | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 12.9 mi (20.8 km) |
| Status | Operational |
| Existed | 1 December 2024–present |
| Major junctions | |
| West end | Pan-American Highway in Quelepa |
| Major intersections | Ruta Militar in San Miguel |
| East end | Pan-American Highway in San Miguel |
| Location | |
| Country | El Salvador |
| Departments | San Miguel |
| Highway system | |
The Gerardo Barrios Bypass (Spanish: Periférico Gerardo Barrios) is a road in El Salvador located in the San Miguel Department that bypasses the city of San Miguel. The road travels north of San Miguel for 12.9 miles (20.8 km).
History
Proposal
In 2014, Salvadoran president Salvador Sánchez Cerén proposed building a bypass road around city of San Miguel in order to shorten travel times along the Pan-American Highway. In August 2014, the Salvadoran government granted a $120 million contract to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to build the bypass. On 30 April 2015, the Legislative Assembly approved the construction of the bypass, but by the end of Sánchez Cerén's presidency in mid-2019, construction never commenced. In June 2019, Sánchez Cerén's successor, Nayib Bukele, ordered the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) to initiate plans to build the proposed bypass in San Miguel and announced that it would be called the "Gerardo Barrios Bypass".
Construction
Construction on the Gerardo Barrios Bypass began in late 2019. JICA helped the MOP build the Gerardo Barrios Bypass which cost $174 million. Phase one of the bypass' construction involved the widening of the Pan-American Highway from 2 to 4 lanes in El Obrajuelo, Quelepa where the bypass' western terminus was planned to be built; this was completed in October 2021. Phase two involved the paving of a 5.2-mile-long (8.4 km) stretch of the bypass from the Pan-American Highway to Hato Nuevo and phase four involved the construction of bridges over the Grande and Taisihuat Rivers; both phases were completed in January 2024. Phase three involved the completion of the bypass' eastern section from Hato Nuevo to El Papalón.
On 1 December 2024, Bukele inaugurated the completed Gerardo Barrios Bypass. After the bypass' completion, Manuel Flores, the secretary-general of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), stated that the bypass was the "strategic planning" ("planificación estratégica") of the FMLN (the party that Sánchez Cerén was a member of when its construction was initially proposed in 2014). The bypass opened to traffic on 2 December 2024.
Route
The Gerardo Barrios Bypass is 12.9 miles (20.8 km) long. Its western terminus is located in El Obrajuelo and its eastern terminus is located in El Papalón. Approximately halfway through the bypass' route, it has a 4-way roundabout junction with the Ruta Militar in Hato Nuevo that travels north from San Miguel. The bypass crosses the Grande, Jalacatal, Papalón, and Taisihuat Rivers.
The Gerardo Barrios Bypass includes bike lanes, 12 bus stops, and an elevated crosswalk.
See also
References
- ^ Magaña, Yolanda (1 December 2024). "Bukele Inaugura Periférico Gerardo Barrios en San Miguel" [Bukele Inaugurates the Gerardo Barrios Bypass in San Miguel]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- "«By-Pass» de San Miguel, el Megaproyecto que el FMLN Lanzó Solo Para su Campaña Electoral" [San Miguel "Bypass", the Mega Project the FMLN Only Proposed for Its Electoral Campaign]. Diario El Salvador (in Spanish). 12 September 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- "Presidente Bukele Construirá ByPass «Periférico Gerardo Barrios», en San Miguel" [President Bukele Will Construct the "Gerardo Barrios Bypass" in San Miguel]. Última Hora (in Spanish). 17 June 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- "(Video) Gobierno Pone a Licitación Segundo Tramo de la Construcción del Periférico Gerardo Barrios en San Miguel" [(Video) Government Opens Bidding for the Construction of the Second Section of the Gerardo Barrios Bypass in San Miguel]. La Página (in Spanish). 24 December 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- Villarán, Julio (28 October 2021). "Presidente Bukele Entrega Paquete I del Periférico Gerardo Barrios, en San Miguel" [President Bukele Presents Phase 1 of the Gerardo Barrios Bypass in San Miguel]. La Página (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- Ávila, Iliana (7 January 2024). "Finalizan Paquetes 2 y 4 del Periférico Gerardo Barrios de San Miguel" [They Finalize Phases 2 and 4 of the Gerardo Barrios Bypass of San Miguel]. Diario El Salvador (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- Ávila, Iliana; Gómez, René (11 January 2024). "El Paquete III del Periférico Gerardo Barrios Tiene un 60% de Avance" [Phase 3 of the Gerardo Barrios Bypass Is 60% Complete]. Diario El Salvador (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- Arias, Diana (3 December 2024). "El FMLN Dice que el Nuevo Periférico fue Parte de su Planeación Estratégica" [The FMLN Says that the New Bypass was Part of Its Strategic Plan]. Diario El Salvador (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- ^ Rodríguez, Jeannette (2 December 2024). "Conductores Comienzan a Hacer Uso del Periférico Gerardo Barrios, en San Miguel" [Drivers Begin Using the Gerardo Barrios Bypass in San Miguel]. Diario El Salvador (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- Fonseca, M. (1 December 2024). "Nayib Bukele Inaugura el Periférico Gerardo Barrios" [Nayib Bukele Inaugurates the Gerardo Barrios Bypass]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- Ávila, Iliana (29 July 2024). "A Punto de Finalizar el Periférico Gerardo Barrios, en San Miguel" [The Gerardo Barrios Bypass in San Miguel Is Almost Complete]. Diario El Salvador (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- Rodríguez, Lourdes (2 December 2024). "Periférico Gerardo Barrios Marca un Hito Histórico en la Estructura Vial de El Salvador" [The Gerardo Barrios Bypass Marks a Historic Milestone for the Road Infrastructure of El Salvador]. Diario la Huella (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2025.
