Skip to main content

Chile-Argentina tunnel project progress

Further progress is being made with the landmark Agua Negra Tunnel project that will connect Argentina and Chile. The new tunnel will run through the Andes mountain range, providing an improved highway link between the two nations, boosting trade and transport. The consortia pre-qualified for the tender process will be announced during November 2017.
October 20, 2017 Read time: 1 min

Further progress is being made with the landmark Agua Negra Tunnel project that will connect Argentina and Chile. The new tunnel will run through the Andes mountain range, providing an improved highway link between the two nations, boosting trade and transport. The consortia pre-qualified for the tender process will be announced during November 2017. Construction of the tunnel is expected to cost US$1.5 billion and could take up to 10 years to complete. Initial funding to help start some of the technical design and planning work on the project is being provided by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) in the shape of two loans. One loan of $130 million will be for Argentina while the other, of $150 million, will be for Chile. The IADB has said it will source the necessary funding for the entire project. The intended design of twin tube tunnels calls for parallel drives measuring 13.9m in diameter. Around 72% of the 14km route run through Argentina, connecting San Juan in Argentina with Coquimbo in Chile.

Related Content

  • New Paraguay road tender plan
    April 2, 2019
    Tendering is opening in Paraguay for the country’s Transchaco road project. The construction start date has not yet been revealed but the work is expected to take two years to complete once building gets underway. Building the new Carlos Antonio Lopez route is expected to cost US$670 million, with the 559km road connecting Cerrito and Mariscal Estigarribia. Funding worth $400 million is being supplied by the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) while $160 million is being supplied by the Inter-American D
  • Argentina highway upgrade plan
    June 7, 2022
    A planned Argentina highway upgrade is being prioritised.
  • Kenya develops annuity road funding model
    May 8, 2015
    Kenya is introducing novel methods for funding its necessary road infrastructure development - Shem Oirere writes. Kenya has unveiled a new financing model for road construction and reviewed its design standards and construction methodologies, which forms part of a new strategy for the East African country. Under this new plan Kenya is planning to upgrade 10,000km of road, with these links featuring asphalt surfacing; the work being carried out over the next five years at a cost of US$2.8 billion. Despite t
  • Tunnel Boom in Central and Eastern Europe
    September 15, 2015
    Following the success of the 41st World Tunnel Congress held in Croatia last May, World Highways looks at two signi_ cant projects in Slovakia and Serbia – Adriana Potts reports Central and Eastern Europe is buzzing with a number of major projects being developed - including highways, bridges and tunnels – and with many more in the pipeline. The region is expected to be highly active with plans for developing infrastructure in the next two decades, according to Davorin Koli , president of the Croatian