Strong bids have been received for Chile’s Puente Industrial road bridge project, which will be built in Region VIII. Bidders included Spanish firm 980 OHL as well as 2313 Besalco Concesiones-Concesiones Viarias Chile Tres and 3959 Sacyr Concesiones Chile. Work on the 2.5km bridge is expected to commence in 2014 and the project will cost some US$170 million to construct, with completion expected in 2017. The deal for the four lane bridge includes building access roads and involves a 30 year concession package. The Puente Industrial Bridge will span the Biobío River and will link with the Ruta 160 highway and the project also includes building a rail overpass and additional drainage. When it is complete the Puente Industrial Bridge will connect Hualpén and San Pedro de la Paz and will, for a time at least, be the longest bridge in the country. When the Chacao Bridge opens in 2021, this 2.7km long structure will then become the country’s longest bridge. Chile’s public works ministry, MOP, recently accepted a proposal of $695 million to construct the bridge, which will connect Chiloé Island to the mainland. This project has been subject to a number of delays over the years and was cancelled at a previous occasion over cost concerns. However, the bridge design was assessed and the costs scaled back, with the project now definitely going ahead at last.
The968 Chilean Government has a strong policy for infrastructure development with plans in hand to award $4.1 billion of tenders before March 2014. Spanish company 1377 Globalvia is discussing works to upgrade a 15km section of the Ruta 5 Norte highway. The $230 million contract will be split into three tenders: urban road work; the toll and traffic flow system; free-flow tolling at Lampa. The first and second contracts may be awarded to a construction company or consortium. The third contract is more specialised and will be awarded to a company with experience of this sector. The urban stretch of this project may be complete by 2016.
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