Skip to main content

Agreement between Chile and Argentina on tunnel route

The authorities in Chile and Argentina have signed a key agreement over the Agua Negra Tunnel project. This new tunnel will provide a new link between the two countries. The link is expected to feature a twin tube design and will connect the Argentinian province of San Juan and the Chilean IV Region of Coquimbo. The tunnel will form a crucial component in the Mercosur route. The new tunnel will be in the vicinity of the current Paso de Agua Negra border crossing. When it is complete, the planned Mercosur ro
January 21, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
The authorities in Chile and Argentina have signed a key agreement over the Agua Negra Tunnel project. This new tunnel will provide a new link between the two countries. The link is expected to feature a twin tube design and will connect the Argentinian province of San Juan and the Chilean IV Region of Coquimbo. The tunnel will form a crucial component in the Mercosur route. The new tunnel will be in the vicinity of the current Paso de Agua Negra border crossing. When it is complete, the planned Mercosur route will provide a road link from Brazil’s Atlantic Coast ports of São Paulo and Porto Alegre to that of Chile’s port of Coquimbo, on the Pacific Coast. The tender process is being prepared at present and the schedule requires this to be launched by March of this year. Bidders will have around four months to tender for the work.

Related Content

  • Chile-Argentina tunnel project to take nine years
    May 3, 2017
    Construction work for the Agua Negra tunnel connecting Argentina with Chile is expected to take nine years to complete. The actual construction work will commence in 2019, although considerable activity will be required beforehand. Building the tunnel is expected to cost in the orders of US$1.5 billion. Much of the financing for the project is being provided by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). So far the IADB has given $20 million to Argentina and a further $20 million to Chile to pay for the nec
  • Progress with Agua Negra tunnel connecting Argentina and Chile
    October 11, 2016
    Discussions between Argentina and Chile over the new Agua Negra tunnel to connect the two countries are proving fruitful. A bi-national commission is overseeing the project and assessing bids, with the construction work expected to cost in the region of US$1.5 billion. Technical proposals will have to be submitted by February 2017, with economic bids made by May 2017. The winner of the tender could be announced in early 2018, with the first excavation work then commencing in late 2018 or early 2019. This wi
  • Latin America invests in infrastructure growth
    February 15, 2012
    Travelling in one of the world's most diverse regions is not always easy, but spectacular engineering feats will make life easier as Patrick Smith reports. Five years ago a report from the World Bank noted that infrastructure in most of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) had improved over the previous ten years.
  • Chile-Argentina Agua Negra Tunnel progress
    February 16, 2018
    The names of the contractors offering bids for the new Agua Negra Tunnel project connecting Chile and Argentina will be revealed in March 2018. Several firms have already expressed a keen interest in this major engineering project. Contractors that have expressed interest include CRS, a consortium comprising China Railway Tunnel Group and Benito Roggio e Hijos. In addition, Ingenieria y Construccion Sigdo Koppers and OHL are also interested in the project as are the firms Rovella and Condotte. The project