Nighttime Closures on Cuenca-Azogues Freeway for 30 Days — Monay Interchange Beams Going Up

What's Happening

The Cuenca-Azogues freeway (autopista) is under nightly closures from 11:00 PM to 4:00 AM, starting March 10 and running for 30 consecutive nights. The closures affect the stretch between Calle José Carrasco Arteaga and Calle Cuzco, right in the Hospital del IESS sector near Monay.

The reason: construction crews are placing massive steel and concrete beams for the new elevated overpass at the Monay interchange. These beams are heavy, and the work requires shutting down traffic lanes completely — there's no safe way to do it while cars are passing underneath.

The Monay Interchange Project

This is part of the $43.3 million Monay interchange project, which is building Cuenca's first true elevated overpass. The project is now 25% complete, and if the timeline holds, the first elevated section should be operational by September 2026.

The interchange is designed to fix one of Cuenca's worst traffic bottlenecks — the convergence of traffic coming from the autopista, Avenida 12 de Octubre, and the roads feeding in from El Valle and Monay. Anyone who's sat in the gridlock at this intersection during rush hour knows how badly an overpass is needed.

Who's Affected

If you:

• Live in Monay, El Valle, or Chaullabamba and commute via the autopista — plan around the 11PM-4AM window
• Travel to or from Azogues at night (including trips to the Azogues bus terminal for long-distance routes) — you'll need alternate routes
• Use the Hospital del IESS on the autopista — nighttime access may be complicated. If you have a scheduled late appointment or emergency, factor in detours
• Drive to the airport for early morning flights — the Cuenca airport is past this zone. Give yourself extra time

Alternate Routes

During the 11PM-4AM closure window:

• From the city to Azogues: Take the old road via Déleg (slower but scenic — add 20-30 minutes)
• From Monay/El Valle into the city: Use Avenida 12 de Octubre or the Circunvalación Sur
• For airport access: Plan to arrive before 11PM or after 4AM, or use the Ricaurte route

Police and construction flaggers will be directing traffic at the closure points, but expect some confusion during the first few nights as people figure out the detours.

The Bigger Picture

The $43.3 million budget makes this one of the largest infrastructure projects in Cuenca right now. When finished, the Monay interchange will dramatically improve traffic flow on the autopista and reduce the accidents that plague this stretch.

At 25% completion, the project is roughly on schedule. The 30 nights of beam placement represent a critical construction phase — once the beams are up, the elevated deck can be poured and the overpass starts taking its final shape.

Thirty nights of closures is annoying, but it's a necessary step toward infrastructure that Cuenca has needed for years. Just avoid the autopista between 11PM and 4AM until mid-April, and you'll be fine.

Source: El Mercurio