Minister: Chiloe bridge bidding pushed back to Feb.

The bidding deadline for the Chiloe Island bridge concession in southern Chile's Region X has been moved to February from end-October, Diario Financiero quoted minister Javier Etcheberry as saying. According to the minister, the extension came at the request of international consortia that wanted more time to review the project. In July, the ministry had extended its July 29 bidding deadline 90 days at the request of France's Vinci and the Puente Bicentenario consortium lead by Germany's Hochtief. A spokesperson from the ministry's concessions department told BNamericas that their office has not published any official notice announcing a change in dates, but as the statement came from the minister an announcement could be made in the coming days. The US$350mn project entails building a 2.64km four-lane traffic bridge across the Chacao Canal's shallowest point to Chiloe, as well as some 13.5km of access roads on each side. The concessionaire would operate the bridge for 30 years, recouping investment through tolls. Studies in 2002 estimated that some 3,000 vehicles/day would initially use the bridge, increasing to 15,000 in 2040. FERRY SYSTEM In July, the senate's public works committee submitted to the ministry an alternative to the bridge project, citing the latter's high price tag. Mendes Junior presented the alternative, which consists of building, supplying and operating a ferry system whose income would allow the partial or total financing of the bridge project. A committee spokesperson told BNamericas that they have not received any word from the ministry regarding this project, while information was not immediately available from the ministry.