East Highway – Section III, Chuspita – Caucagua Interchange
Project sheet
- Sector
- Roadway
- Location
- Prog. 52+000 to 61+000, Miranda State, Venezuela
- Year
- 2001
- Investment
- Over 150 billion bolívares (this phase)
- Vialpa Role
- Engineering, earthworks, hydraulic works, structures and paving
Project overview
Construction of the East Highway ('Autopista de Oriente'), a complex infrastructure undertaking within the Río Grande canyon. Originally conceived with two lanes and the river in the middle, it was redesigned to run parallel to the Río Grande due to demanding topographical and geological conditions. The full highway links the Venezuelan capital with the northeastern region of the country, covering 271 km to Barcelona. The scope of this phase includes: 9 km of embankment body; transverse and surface drainage works (culverts, boxes, central collectors, gutters and drains); hydraulic protection works such as cast-in-place concrete walls and slope protection with riprap and sack-concrete; a cable-stayed retaining screen at Prog. 5+200 on the north bank of the Río Grande; the Río Grande diversion channel (Prog. 5+200 to 5+700); granular-material pavement sub-base and base; and concrete barriers.
The Challenge
Overcoming severe topographic and geotechnical constraints within the Río Grande canyon, which required redesigning the original alignment to protect the highway against major river floods while ensuring the stability of deep cuts along mountainous terrain.
Vialpa Scope
9 km of highway embankment body, 500 m Río Grande diversion channel, cable-stayed retaining screen at Prog. 5+200, cast-in-place reinforced concrete retaining walls, major and surface drainage works, continuous New Jersey concrete barriers, and pavement base.
Engineering / Construction Approach
Synchronized execution of geometric redesign engineering, Río Grande river channeling, and massive earthmoving with rigorous compaction controls, complemented by geotechnical slope stabilization and hydraulic riprap protection.
Operational Constraints
Execution inside a river canyon with seasonal flooding of the Río Grande, river diversion requirements, and active coordination with neighboring traffic corridors.
Technical Highlights
- 9 km embankment body inside the Río Grande canyon
- Redesign to parallel roadways along the Río Grande due to geological and topographical conditions
- Cable-stayed retaining screen at Prog. 5+200 on the northern bank of the Río Grande
- Río Grande diversion channel (Prog. 5+200 to 5+700)
- Transverse and surface drainage works (culverts, boxes, central collectors, gutters and drains)
- Hydraulic protection with cast-in-place concrete walls, riprap rockfill and soil-cement sacks
Key Quantities
Photographic archive and field execution
Original photographic field documentation of road execution, structures, concrete barriers and earthmoving by Constructora Vialpa.
Aerial view of the Interchange and alignment of the East Highway in the Río Grande canyon
Main roadway and concrete barriers along cut section and overpass
Operational segment with New Jersey barriers and stabilized cut slopes
Aerial perspective of viaducts and highway development through mountainous topography
Finished asphalt pavement, central concrete barriers and lateral drainage channel (Field archive: 2005)
Geotechnical slope stabilization: anchored shotcrete retaining wall and active soil-nail tiebacks on mountain cut
Load testing and hydraulic post-tensioning of tieback anchor over reinforced concrete bearing block
Vialpa technical crew executing anchor fixing and grouting on cable-stayed retaining wall along rock slope (Field record: May 2003)
Pneumatic crawler drill rig and telescopic handler drilling slope anchors under mountainous weather conditions
Panoramic view of slope stabilization front with reinforced concrete wall, tiebacks, and heavy drilling equipment (Field record: May 2003)
Aerial view of curved roadway and riverbank hydraulic protection using soil-cement sacks and continuous retaining structure along the Río Grande
Construction detail of slope and riverbank protection with tiered rows of soil-cement sacks and drainage culvert outfall structure
Granular base grading and compaction with central continuous concrete barrier along mountain segment (Field record: August 2004)
Aerial overhead view of twin parallel viaducts spanning the Río Grande canyon, access roads, and heavy machinery field yard
Asphalt distributor truck applying pressurized bituminous prime coat via spray bar over granular pavement base
Hot-mix asphalt paving front: Caterpillar AP-1050 asphalt paver and technical crew spreading asphalt wearing course (Field record: June 2005)
Asphalt compaction with Caterpillar tandem vibratory roller alongside New Jersey barrier and retained slope
Aerial panoramic view of the highway interchange, connector ramps, Río Grande river channeling, and corridor through the valley (Field record: September 2005)
