Chile-Argentina tunnel receives multiple bids

Interest has been strong in the tender process for the Agua Negra Tunnel project that will connect Chile and Argentina. In all 10 consortia comprising 29 firms submitted bids to build the tunnel, which will provide a new road link from Coquimbo in Chile to San Juan in Argentina. The winning tender is due to be announced in early 2018. It is highly likely that the winner will include local firms and Chilean companies in particular have access to personnel with experience of tunnelling work due to the country
June 5, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Interest has been strong in the tender process for the Agua Negra Tunnel project that will connect Chile and Argentina. In all 10 consortia comprising 29 firms submitted bids to build the tunnel, which will provide a new road link from Coquimbo in Chile to San Juan in Argentina. The winning tender is due to be announced in early 2018. It is highly likely that the winner will include local firms and Chilean companies in particular have access to personnel with experience of tunnelling work due to the country’s extensive hard rock mining sector.


The new route will boost trade and transport between the two countries and financial support is likely from several local and international sources. When it opens to traffic the new tunnel will provide a more dependable transport link between the countries than is currently available in the area. One existing tunnel is at a high altitude and its portals can be blocked during winter. The other route is a high mountain pass that is not suited to use by heavy traffic and is even more likely to be impassable in winter.

Road Structures

Related Content

  • Rotenberg’s Mostotrest to fight for $5 billion Russia’s road-building contract
    December 2, 2013
    Interest is strong in one of Russia’s premier projects for road infrastructure - Eugene Gerden reports The State Company Russian Highways (Avtodor) has officially announced a tender for the construction of the sixth - and longest - section of the Moscow - St Petersburg highway. Avtodor is Russia’s leading company in the field of development of national road infrastructure, while this is one of the largest and most controversial projects in Russian road building in recent years. The 6th section of the
    Read More
  • Work begins on Stockholm’s new bypass
    August 22, 2016
    The first tunnels are being excavated for the huge bypass tunnel in Sweden’s capital Stockholm – Adrian Greeman writes. After years of preparation and design, blasting and rock moving for Sweden's largest infrastructure project began south of the city this year. It sets in train a decade-long project that will create a new half-ring dual three-lane motorway for the city, 20km long. With most of it deep underground, it will also be one of Europe's largest ever road tunnels. The scheme is aimed at transformin
    Read More
  • Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh benefiting from major transport investment
    September 9, 2013
    Saudi Arabia is undergoing a series of upgrades to its transport network in a bid to improve Traffic flow rates and boost safety - Mike Woof reports. The massive growth in the use of motor transport worldwide since the start of the 20th century has transformed every country on the planet. But perhaps no country has changed more dramatically than Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading oil producer. At the start of the 20th century Saudi Arabia’s population was small and the country had few industries while it is
    Read More
  • Sandvik tunnelling equipment boosts Sochi 2014
    August 28, 2013
    Sandvik Construction is among leading equipment manufacturers playing a key role in building a network of road and rail tunnels on one new and one existing transport route in and around the Russian coastal city of Sochi as part of a US$47.75 billion investment in preparations for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. Guy Woodford reports Sandvik Construction’s tunnelling equipment team in Russia have been very much in demand over the past three years. Since 2010, they have been overseeing the seven Russian c
    Read More

Highlighted Content