The Darien Gap, located between the border of Colombia and Panama, is notorious for its unsuitability for road construction, remaining devoid of roads to this day. This project involved evaluating two potential routes through path cost analysis to traverse the Darien Gap: one connecting Yaviza, Panama, to Apartadó, Colombia, and another connecting Yaviza, Panama, to Chigorodó.
Initially, both routes share an identical path for the first 90 kilometers, starting from the same origin and navigating the most cost-efficient route through rugged terrain and high mountains before diverging towards their respective endpoints. The route between Yaviza and Apartadó is not only longer but also more irregular compared to the route between Yaviza and Chigorodó, which appears to be the more favorable option based on distance cost analysis.
Furthermore, the path between Yaviza and Chigorodó is more direct than the path to Apartadó, a significant distinguishing feature considered in this analysis. This cost-distance assessment of the Darien Gap factored in gentle slopes and elevations above mean sea level. Subsequent analyses could explore additional factors such as woodland coverage to refine these findings further.