For centuries, the residents of Comuna 13, a hillside neighborhood in Medellin, Columbia, have had to walk up and down massive hills to get to and from the center of the city. Now, they can ride the escalator.
ABC reports that residents had to climb the equivalent of 28 flights of stairs every day to get home from the center of the city. The 35-minute hike has now been replaced by an effortless 6-minute escalator ride.
The $6.7 million escalator is divided into six sections. Each section has a length of about 1,260 feet. The escalator is currently uncovered, but officials say that they plan on building a roof over the shelter so that people can use the new stairway in inclement weather.
Here’s a video about Columbia’s new giant escalator.
Mayor Alonso Salazar said that he hopes the giant escalator makes life in Comuna 13 more enjoyable.
The Columbian city has seen urban violence and drug trafficking since Pablo Escobar and his cocaine smuggling operation, the Medellin Cartel, made the city its home. Escobar was killed in the city in 1993 but the violence didn’t end with his death.
Salazar said that Comuna 13 has “suffered the greatest urban violence… but lately this has been receding and we hope this social package will help it move forward.”
Salazar says that the project has gathered interest from nearby cities like Rio De Janeiro. Officials from Rio de Janeiro have already scheduled a visit to Comuna 13 to see the new escalator and may decide to implement a similar system.
