Chiloé bridge award publication within 45 days

The decree awarding the Puente Bicentenario consortium the US$410mn Chiloé island bridge project in Chile's Region X is expected to be published in 30-45 days, the public works ministry's concessions director Camilo Rojas said. Two to three days after the decree for the design, construction and operation contract is published, geotechnical studies will begin to determine if the bedrock will be able to support the central tower, newspaper Diario Financiero quoted Rojas as saying. He added that the studies are due to be ready in the first half of next year, and if they prove feasible, the consortium will update engineering and construction details to determine more exact project costs and ensure they do not exceed US$450mn. Made up of France's Vinci, Germany's Hochtief, the US's American Bridge and local firms Besalco and Tecsa, Puente Bicentenario was the only group to submit an offer for the project. The project entails building a 2.6km, four-lane traffic bridge across the Chacao channel to Chiloé, plus nearly 14km of access roads. Once built, the suspension bridge would be the longest in South America and one of the 10 longest in the world. Access to the island is currently by ferry, which takes about 30 minutes in good weather. ALTERNATIVE PROJECT Regarding an alternative project that involves a highway built on an embankment in order to take advantage of water currents to generate power, a senate release quoted legislator Eduardo Frei as saying that "public works minister Jaime Estévez has told us that the Puente Bicentario project that will unite Chiloé with the continent is already awarded...which is why there is no room for other types of proposals." Frei added that Estévez said the national energy commission, not the public works ministry, should study the embankment project, and that the decree awarding the ministry's project is ready for President Ricardo Lagos' signature. Figures for the alternative project range from US$65mn to US$180mn.