The National Infrastructure Agency (ANI) signed Addendum No. 2 of the concession contract for the Canal del Dique Degraded Ecosystem Restoration Project, which expanded the preconstruction phase and included the procedure for approving funding associated with the environmental impact study.

Backed by the technical team from ANI and the relevant oversight body, the Ecosistemas del Dique concession submitted a consulting proposal to carry out the Environmental Impact Study (EIA), with an approved budget of US$63.767 million plus VAT. The study is scheduled for submission to ANLA (National Environmental Licensing Authority) in the first half of 2026. Meanwhile, under the Ministry of Transportation’s supervision, the Canal del Dique continues to operate and maintain its infrastructure—this includes maintenance dredging, continuous monitoring of protective dikes for riverside communities, and the implementation of risk management protocols.

The "Restoration of the Degraded Ecosystems of the Canal del Dique" project covers an area of influence of 435,000 hectares, including marine and inland areas, and has a total length of 115 kilometers, between the municipality of Calamar and the Bay of Cartagena, in the department of Bolívar. Among the most important projects planned is the construction of two lock and gate complexes: one in Calamar and another in Puerto Badel. This infrastructure will control water flow and saltwater intrusion, mitigate bank erosion, and reduce sediment ingress into the bays of Cartagena and Barbacoas, among other results. All of these interventions will help restore degraded ecosystems, benefiting 1.5 million residents of 19 municipalities in the departments of Atlántico, Bolívar, and Sucre.