Sacyr Concesiones Chile presented the best offer to be awarded the Second Concession of Route 68

This is an automated translation of the original release published in Spanish.

PRESS RELEASE from the Ministry of Public Works of Chile
November 12, 2024

The project involves an approximate investment of US$1.620 billion (UF 35,970,000), making it the work with the largest budget called for tender. Among the relevant works are the development of two new tunnels (Lo Prado 3 and Zapata 3), as well as reversible roads and third and fourth lanes in the Pudahuel sector, in addition to green areas and crossings that will allow for better development for the district.

This Tuesday, November 12, the Opening of the Economic Offers presented for the Second Concession of Route 68, which connects the Metropolitan Region with Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, took place. The company Sacyr Concesiones Chile presented the best offer at UF 45,790,000 of Total Concession Income (ITC), while the Costanera Group presented UF 47,650,397.

In this way, the process to award the work to Sacyr Concesiones Chile during the first quarter of 2025 is now underway. It should be noted that this project involves an estimated investment of around US$1.62 billion (UF 35,970,000) which corresponds to the tender with the largest budget. After that, the development of the final engineering and the submission of the Environmental Assessment study to the Environmental Assessment System (SEA) will begin, which would allow work to begin in the second quarter of 2029.

The interim Minister of Public Works, Danilo Núñez, stressed that “we are very satisfied with the opening of the economic offer for Route 68 because it is one of the highest investments we have today in our country. A high investment that the General Directorate of Concessions worked on with the private sector and that today is already initially awarded so that it can materialize in the next few years. Development and job creation are very important to us. This project will generate more than 4,000 jobs when its construction is underway, therefore, it is good news not only for the Ministry of Public Works but for the country.”

The Director General of Concessions, Juan Manuel Sánchez, indicated that it is especially significant that two companies with extensive experience in the Chilean concession system participated in this tender. “The Second Concession of Route 68 is a highly anticipated project, since it responds to the new service and safety requirements of approximately 130,000 vehicles that travel on this route every day.”

In this regard, Sánchez added that “Sacyr has been participating in our public-private partnership system since 1996 when it was awarded its first concession for the construction and operation of the Los Vilos-La Serena highway. Currently, Sacyr operates five airports and nine concessioned routes, covering more than 6,000 km of roads.”

The modernization of Route 68 involves the development of new works on a 141km section, including 2.7km of new third lanes and 8.3km of new fourth lanes. In addition, it will have a new two-lane roadway of 82.8km, leaving one of them reversible, depending on the flow demand, and the construction of the Lo Prado 3 and Zapata 3 tunnels, each with two lanes, which will allow each of the three roadways to have its own tunnels available.

This second concession considers the improvement, construction, maintenance and operation of the pre-existing works, as well as the new infrastructure.

Description of the work

Route 68 begins at the Pajaritos Junction, in the municipalities of Estación Central and Lo Prado, and ends in Valparaíso. Its route runs through the municipalities of Estación Central, Lo Prado, Pudahuel, Curacaví, Casablanca, Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Quilpué and Villa Alemana. The second concession of this interurban highway includes Route 68 and secondary routes: Route 60-CH Vía Las Palmas (9.95 km) and Route 60-CH Troncal Sur (20.55 km), as well as part of the project called “Nudo Pajaritos” (1.22 km).

In the section between Av. Pajaritos and the current Lo Prado tollway, the Pajaritos Junction will be developed and it will be expanded to third lanes from the Américo Vespucio Junction to the Costanera Norte Junction and fourth lanes from the Costanera Norte Junction to the current Lo Prado toll. In the commune of Pudahuel, urban plazas with green areas will be built at the Las Torres, La Estrella and Serrano junctions, and the Teniente Cruz Traverse. Also in Pudahuel, the bridges over the Mapocho River and the Lampa estuary will be replaced.

In addition, a park of approximately 23,000m² will be built with a wetland interpretation center of approximately 250m² in the El Noviciado sector.

In the section between the Lo Prado Toll and the La Pólvora interchange (Placilla - Camino La Pólvora), a new two-lane road will be developed, so that the route will have three two-lane roadways, with the central roadway operating in a reversible manner, according to the registered flows. Thus, the highway will permanently have one direction of traffic operating with 4 lanes and the other direction operating with 2 lanes, according to the traffic level.

Two new tunnels will also be built: Lo Prado 3 and Zapata 3, each with two lanes, which will allow each of the three roads to have its own tunnels.

The project also includes the migration of the current mixed payment system by gantries and manual booths to a 100% Free Flow system with Tag along Route 68, thus eliminating side tolls, all of this, once the construction of the project is finished. In the case of the Southern Trunk Road, its current collection system will be maintained throughout the new concession (with manual payment and also with Tag).

Finally, in the La Pólvora and Valparaíso – Viña del Mar link sector, the project includes the modernization of the Rodelillo link, adding an incorporation lane to the Las Palmas Highway; the improvement of the service road for access to the Valparaíso Norway link and the link itself, which will facilitate connectivity to the Eduardo Pereira hospital; and containment works on the Bajada Santos Ossa. In addition, on the Las Palmas Highway, the project includes the execution of road safety projects.