Túnel de Oriente Closure Oct 26–29: MDE Airport Detour

Verified October 26, 2026. We found only one outlet reporting these dates (see Sources and verification), so confirm with your driver or shuttle before a late trip.

Quick answer: the Túnel de Oriente closure runs four straight nights, Monday October 26 through Thursday October 29, 2026. The tunnel is fully shut from 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. each night, the last one ending Friday, October 30 at 4:00 a.m., for maintenance, according to Vivir en El Poblado, which cites the operator, Concesión Túnel Aburrá Oriente. If you have a red-eye or pre-dawn flight at José María Córdova International Airport (MDE) in Rionegro this week, plan on the Las Palmas road and add buffer time.

Túnel de Oriente closure: dates and hours

Night	Closure window
Mon, Oct 26	10:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.
Tue, Oct 27	10:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.
Wed, Oct 28	10:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.
Thu, Oct 29	10:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m. (ends Fri, Oct 30)

The report describes the closure as total, six hours a night, and mentions no exceptions. The tunnel is scheduled to be open outside those hours, but the report says nothing about queues or work-zone slowdowns near 10 p.m. If your ride passes the tunnel close to the cutoff, go early or plan on Las Palmas.

What the crews are doing

Per Vivir en El Poblado, the periodic maintenance covers:

• Signaling, lighting, and traffic-control systems
• SOS posts and speed radars
• Cleaning of the tunnel interior and the open-air road sections
• Repainting of road markings and installation of signage

The concession asks drivers to plan trips ahead and allow extra travel time.

The detour: Las Palmas and the Variante Palmas

The alternate route is the Las Palmas dual carriageway and the Variante Palmas, both of which stay open during the closure. The concession says tow trucks, ambulances, and emergency vehicles will be available on these roads, per the same report.

How much extra time? The report gives no figure. Las Palmas is a winding mountain road, and the tunnel was built specifically to shorten the Medellín–Rionegro trip, so expect a noticeably longer ride. Expect a mountain road with curves; check conditions before you leave rather than assuming it will be quiet at night.

Our recommendation: budget at least 30 to 60 extra minutes versus your usual tunnel-route time. That is our own planning estimate, not an official figure.

What this means if you’re flying MDE

• If your ride to MDE falls between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.: you’ll go via Las Palmas. Someone on an 11:30 p.m. flight probably leaves Medellín before 9 p.m. and may still use the tunnel, but leave earlier than usual and don’t schedule a tight check-in.
• If your ride from MDE falls in that window: expect a longer ride into Medellín, and tell your host or hotel your real arrival time.
• Shuttles and buses: confirm with the operator that they’re running and how they’re routing. If you planned on the new Medellín airport bus hub at Sandiego, ask about overnight service this week, since we haven’t confirmed how it is affected.
• Early-morning flights: a 5 or 6 a.m. departure means leaving Medellín while the tunnel is still shut or just reopening at 4:00 a.m. Don’t count on the tunnel unless it has reopened.
• Traveling the following weekend: see our guide to the Halloween puente festivo, Oct 31–Nov 2.
• Safety at night: pick licensed, pre-arranged transport rather than hailing a ride on the street. Our note on late-night safety in Medellín covers the wider picture.

This is a recurring pattern

This is not the first overnight closure. We covered August 24–28 and July, and the concession has scheduled them several times this year, including February and late April. What is different this time is the maintenance scope listed above and the new Sandiego bus hub. If you fly through MDE regularly, check the Concesión Túnel Aburrá Oriente’s official announcements (its website and social accounts) before booking a late-night transfer rather than assuming the tunnel is open.

Quick answers

Is the tunnel closed in the daytime? No closure is announced outside 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.

How much longer is the Las Palmas route? No official figure was published. Our own planning estimate is 30 to 60 extra minutes versus your usual tunnel-route time.

Which road should I take? Las Palmas or the Variante Palmas, which the concession lists as the open alternatives.

Will I be stuck if I’m already en route at 10 p.m.? We don’t know how the concession handles vehicles already inside. Don’t cut it close; plan to be through before 10 p.m. or go via Las Palmas from the start.

When does the tunnel fully reopen? The final closure ends at 4:00 a.m. on Friday, October 30, 2026, according to the same report.

Sources and verification

The dates, hours, maintenance scope and detour roads come from a single report by Vivir en El Poblado, which cites the concession. On October 26, 2026 we found no second outlet or concession notice for these dates. For comparison, a past Gobernación de Antioquia notice covers an earlier five-night closure, not this one. Windows have shifted before, so verify with the concession before you travel.