Road concessions plan includes US$400mn investment in bridges

Chile's public works ministry ( MOP) is drawing up a road concession plan for the 2010-20 period that includes a 10.3mn UF (inflation-linked units, US$400mn) investment to improve bridge infrastructure, an official from MOP's concessions division told BNamericas. The plan includes 97 bridges located along a number of roads and highway networks that are or will be operated by private firms under concession contracts. MOP previously provided details of the investment to be disbursed by the state for bridge maintenance and replacement. These plans did not include bridges in regions I and XII and officials said they would be included in concession projects. However, bridges in these regions are not included in the concessions program either. The plan includes bridges in regions IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XIV, and the metropolitan region (RM), said the official. Works involve replacing existing bridges with new ones, as well as rehabilitation and maintenance works. The largest bridge replacement projects are along the Ruta 5 Sur highway: the Malleco bridge in region IX (1mn UF); Maipo bridge in the RM (1mn UF); Ñuble Poniente in region VIII (770,000 UF); and Claro Poniente in region VII (850,000 UF). At the same time, rebuilding the 118m El Paico bridge on RM's Ruta 78 highway will cost 887,000 UF. The biggest rehabilitation and maintenance works will be carried out on two bridges in region VII, also on Ruta 5 Sur. The Maule bridge will require 115,000 UF while works on the Perquilauquén Poniente bridge will cost 100,000 UF.