Chile unveils US$50bn infrastructure plan

Chile’s public works ministry (MOP) unveiled a US$50bn infrastructure plan for the next 30 years, of which 31% involves private investments.

Some US$34bn of the total will be focused on highways involving 20,000km of roads, public works minister Alfredo Moreno told a senate committee.

He said works will include secondary roads as alternatives to concessioned highways.

“Chile’s entire longitudinal transport network is centered around route 5. For example, if a bridge over the Maule river were to collapse, we would be left disconnected for a long time, and alternatives are highly expensive and far off,” Moreno said. 

The works will affect 3,000km of north-south highways, 2,000km of coastal highways, 7,000km of interior highways, 1,000km of intermediate roads, 6,000km of west-east roads and 1,000km of ring roads and bypasses. 

For airports, investments will entail US$3.9bn to increase the country’s terminal surface area from 172,000m2 to 1Mm2. 

MOP advisor Marcial Echeñique said that four alternatives are being studied for a second airport for Santiago’s metropolitan region, which would have capacity to receive 15mn passengers a year by 2050.

Another US$5bn will be for ports, of which Moreno said US$3.4bn will be to build San Antonio’s outer harbor. Overall the plan aims to expand 10 port terminals.

In railways, US$7bn will be invested to increase the network from 706km to 1,160km.