The authorities in Chile and Argentina are discussing upgrades that can be made to several border crossings between the two countries.
The discussions have raised the possibility of improvements to 14 border crossings in a bid to boost traffic flow and trade, with three crossings in particular having been set as a priority by the Chilean authorities. The three key crossings are at Las Lenas in the O'Higgins region, in Los Libertadores and at Aguas Negras in Coquimbo. This last would be for a 14km tunnel between Coquimbo in Chile and San Juan in Argentina and would cost an estimated US$1 billion to construct. Because of the size of the project it may not be open to traffic until 2121 although the tender process is due to start shortly.
No deadline has been set for the border crossing in Los Libertadores, which is expected to cost $6 billion. A range of financial funding structures for the various projects has yet to be discussed and the authorities are also considering encouraging other Latin American nations to participate in the work, given the economic boost to the whole region the new links could provide.
The move is of note as relations between Argentina and Chile have been somewhat frosty in the past. However in recent years, the relationship between two countries has thawed somewhat.
The discussions have raised the possibility of improvements to 14 border crossings in a bid to boost traffic flow and trade, with three crossings in particular having been set as a priority by the Chilean authorities. The three key crossings are at Las Lenas in the O'Higgins region, in Los Libertadores and at Aguas Negras in Coquimbo. This last would be for a 14km tunnel between Coquimbo in Chile and San Juan in Argentina and would cost an estimated US$1 billion to construct. Because of the size of the project it may not be open to traffic until 2121 although the tender process is due to start shortly.
No deadline has been set for the border crossing in Los Libertadores, which is expected to cost $6 billion. A range of financial funding structures for the various projects has yet to be discussed and the authorities are also considering encouraging other Latin American nations to participate in the work, given the economic boost to the whole region the new links could provide.
The move is of note as relations between Argentina and Chile have been somewhat frosty in the past. However in recent years, the relationship between two countries has thawed somewhat.
