General Directorate of Concessions and ViasChile sign agreement to develop the Quilicura Junction Modification Project: Lo Ruiz Tunnel

Press release from the Ministry of Public Works of Chile

This is an automated translation of the press release issued in Spanish

On Tuesday, September 3, the General Directorate of Concessions and ViasChile signed the agreement that will allow the concessionaire Autopista Central SA to develop the project Modification of the Quilicura Junction: Lo Ruiz Tunnel. This work will be a road solution that will allow to free up a large part of the vehicular congestion of the Quilicura Junction and that will improve the local connectivity of the communes of Quilicura and Renca.

For the execution of the project, which involves an investment of UF 10 million, the tender for its construction will be held this year so that work can begin in the first half of 2025. The construction period is 50 months and it is estimated that it will generate 620 jobs.

The Lo Ruiz Tunnel Project has a length of 5.8 km, considering all its structures and connections. The work consists of the construction of two tunnels (east and west) of 1.47 km under Cerro Lo Ruiz (belonging to the Cerros de Renca island hill system) and connecting viaducts with both the General Velásquez Axis (of the Autopista Central) and the Américo Vespucio Norte highway.

The Lo Ruiz Tunnel will have a maximum travel speed of 80 km/hour and is expected to reduce travel times by at least 20% once operational.

The General Director of Concessions, Juan Manuel Sánchez, highlighted that the signing of this agreement will allow for the completion of a project that will reduce traffic congestion in the northern sector of the city. “This is excellent news, this is a project that we have been developing for many years and that we hope to be able to deliver to the citizens in 50 months after the start of the works. It is a project that, within the framework of the Good Neighbor Program, seeks to be an urban contribution, thanks to the development of parks, picnic areas and soccer fields, among others,” said the authority.

In line with the MOP 's commitment to generate better environments for the concessioned works, the project includes a landscaping project, which will cover an area of more than 26 thousand m2. The development of the future Puerto Montt Park is also considered, which will be located in the surroundings of the Tunnel works, using the current General Velásquez expressway and transforming it into new public spaces; esplanades for recreational use with viewing points, picnic areas and rehabilitation of soccer fields.

The General Director of VíasChile, Andrés Barberis, said that this project “will bring important benefits to the communes in the northern sector of the capital, such as Renca and Quilicura, both for the people who live, work and travel through the area. On the one hand, it implies a large investment for the country and, on the other, it generates substantial improvements in the quality of life of users and neighbors.”

The project will improve local connectivity in the communes of Quilicura and Renca, significantly reducing travel times in the northern area of Santiago by generating more entry and exit capacity to the General Velásquez and Américo Vespucio Norte expressways, which will directly impact the decongestion of the Quilicura Junction.