By rosebell
In order to developing a new road and tunnel project in Santiago, the Chilean Ministry of Public Works has launched ViasChile, a subsidiary of infrastructure management group Abertis.
Including construction of 5.8km of road, with two 1.5km-long bi-directional tunnels beneath Cerro Lo Ruiz in the north of the city, the Modificación Nudo Quilicura: Túnel Lo Ruiz project intends to cut traffic flow by 25% and journey times by up to 20 minutes in what is one of the most congested areas of Santiago.
While the scheduled date for commencing the works is first half of 2025, tenders for the €370m project are going to be launched this year. The determined time duration for construction work is 50 months and an emissions offsetting plan is due to be implemented during the construction phase.
The responsibility of operating and supervising maintenance of one of the Metropolitan Region’s main arterial roads, which crosses Santiago from north to south through the Ruta 5 and General Velásquez motorways, which together total 60.5km, is up to VíasChile-controlled Sociedad Concesionaria Autopista Central.
