Chilean bridge project to Chiloe Island delayed

Delays to the project to construct Chile’s Chacao Bridge mean that an additional two years may be required for the work. The work is now being carried out solely by a consortium, Consorcio Puente Chacao, headed by the South Korean contractor Hyundai.
October 31, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

Delays to the project to construct Chile’s Chacao Bridge mean that an additional two years may be required for the work. The work is now being carried out solely by a consortium, Consorcio Puente Chacao, headed by the South Korean contractor 236 Hyundai. The consortium asked for an extra US$200 million to carry out the project, in addition to extending the work by two years. The bridge was originally planned to be complete by 2020 but the various delays so far mean that it will not now be ready for traffic until 2023. The extra costs mean that the final bill for the project could be $900 million. 

A suspension bridge design was selected  for the link as it was thought to be best able to cope with the extremes of weather, as well as the massive earthquakes that can occur in the area. At 2.75km long, this will be South America’s longest suspension bridge once complete, with main spans of 1,055 and 1,155m. According to Hyundai, progress is being achieved on the project and the design for the south pillar is now complete.

Once the bridge is complete it will help to redevelop the economy of Chiloe Island. At present the inhabitants rely on a ferry service however the new bridge will speed transport and reduce journey times, boosting the economy and also helping to develop tourism. 

The bridge has been discussed for some years. An earlier plan for the project was cancelled over concerns about its costs. However the current project was commissioned as the suspension bridge configuration offered considerable cost benefits over the previous design, while delivering the expected connectivity to the island.
 

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Stantec: coming to an infrastructure site near you
    April 13, 2017
    Acquisitive Canadian firm Stantec is snapping up more transportation expertise as it moves out of its home North American market. David Arminas reports. Last December, politicians from the US states of Kentucky and Indiana celebrated the opening of the second of two major bridges. A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place in cold wintry weather on the new 762m-long cable-stayed Lewis and Clark Bridge. The event marked the finish of the prestigious three-and-half-year Ohio River Bridges Project.
    Read More
  • Norway moves toward more E39 coastal road improvements
    April 4, 2019
    Norway is working on plans to make more of the major north-south E39 coastal route a ferry-free highway, coasting €35.3 billion, according to media. In Norway, the trans-European route 39 is part national road system and is developed and maintained by the public roads administration. It runs for 1,330km along the coast from Klett just south of Trondheim to Nørresundby. Norway’s E39 is mostly a two-lane undivided road with only relatively short sections near Stavanger, Trondheim and Bergen being motorw
    Read More
  • Peru highway bridge replacement project
    July 11, 2025
    A Peruvian highway bridge replacement project is required.
    Read More
  • First bridge deck section joined on UK’s Mersey Gateway project
    June 30, 2017
    The Mersey Gateway bridge project near Liverpool in England passed a milestone recently with the first joining of two of the deck sections.
    Read More

Highlighted Content