Work is underway on an impressive £634 million motorway project that includes two tunnels. (Image: Getty)
Construction is underway in the capital of Santiago to build an impressive motorway project that is set to reduce traffic congestion and slash delays at peak periods, benefitting around 660,000 people.
The Américo Vespucio Oriente II (AVO II) Highway will cost around $815 million, or £634 million, and is currently about 10% finished.
The project will cover a distance of over three miles between the districts Principe de Gales in the north and Los Presidentes in the south, closing the Americo Vespico ring around .
The will feature three lanes on each side.
The route includes two tunnels that will pass underneath a metro line – at a depth between 23 and 54 metres – and is due to be completed in the second half of 2028.
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The route includes two tunnels that will pass underneath a metro line. (Image: Getty)
The tunnels will have the cross section between 250 and 300m² run semi-parallel under metro’s Line 4 at a depth that early analysis considers will create small deformations in the tunnel and the rails of metro’s line. The tunnels will also pass under the station Plaza Egana, where already two levels of metro tunnels cross for Lines 3 and 4, according to (GZ).
The project is also set to provide around 1,500 new jobs per month at its peak. During the 59 months of construction, the work will generate a total of over 51,000 direct jobs and a further 45,000 indirectly.
The work will also incorporate 47,000 square metres of urban surface improvements, including new plazas, 4.3 miles of cycle lanes, bike racks, exclusive public transport lanes and a renovated central shoulder on the surface of Av. Américo Vespucio. That comes to an impressive total of 4.7 hectares (11.6 acres) of recreation space.
The time to travel the distance between Principe de Gales and Los Presidentes will decrease from 30 minutes to just five, with the journey between El Salto (AVO I) and Los Presidentes (AVO 2) taking just 10 minutes.
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Santiago is the largest city of Chile and one of the largest in the Americas. (Image: Getty)
This is a reduction of 85% compared to the travel time above ground before construction of the work.
Santiago is the largest city in Chile and one of the largest in the Americas. It has a population of about seven million, representing a whopping 40% of .
In the 21st century, the city faced a series of problems due to disorganised growth. During the winter months, air reached critical levels and a layer of smog blanketed the city. In response, the authorities implemented legislative measures to reduce industrial pollution and placed restrictions on vehicle use.
To address the problem of transportation, the metro system underwent significant expansion, with lines being extended and three new lines added between 1997 and 2006 in the southeastern sector. In 2011, a new extension was inaugurated in Maipú, bringing the total length of the metropolitan railway to 65 miles.
In the early 1990s, the bus system also underwent a major reform.