Autopista Central, Dictuc sign agreement that seeks to mitigate traffic congestion

Chilean highway concessionaire Autopista Central and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile's engineering services unit Dictuc, have signed an agreement that seeks to study and present proposals towards mitigating the impact of traffic congestion in urban highways. The agreement is expected to turn in their first results in six months, Autopista Central's general manager Christian Barrientos told reporters. Through the agreement Dictuc will study the current congestion throughout Autopista Central, capital Santiago's main north-south axis, focusing on the areas in which traffic congestion is not only the result of the highway's heavy traffic, but mostly the result of congestion in areas outside of the expressway. The crossing of Autopista Central with Santa Isabel avenue, where in addition to the highway exit a service road and a city street merge, creates a massive gridlock that during rush hour can reach up to 5km, according to Dictuc transport expert Juan Carlos Muñoz. Once the first results are in, Autopista Central expects to present the results of the study to the proper authorities, including municipalities, transport and telecommunications ministry MTT and public works ministry MOP, said Barrientos. The executive added that the idea was also presented to the country's concessionaires' association Copsa last year, but that he expects that the remaining three urban expressways operating in Santiago will eventually join forces with Autopista Central and Dictuc to come up with solutions to tackle the issue. "We don't want to have the monopoly over these solutions or over these type of associations," Barrientos added.