27th to 28th March 2023, Norwegian suppliers visited Route 7 in the southern part of Chile, visited the local project south of Puerto Montt and had meeting with the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) to learn more about the upcoming projects.
The Carretera Austral, start in Puerto Montt and runs all the way to Villa O'Higgins (1,240 kilometers), passing through rural Patagonia. A landscape similar to Norway with mountains, glaciers and fjord crossings. But the ambitions are also to develop connectivity all the way to the southern part of Patagonia, including areas west and south of Puerto Natales.
Our task this time was to get familiar with the southern part of Chile, follow up initiatives and future projects and opportunities in the South.
Photo: Arild Petter Sovik, Norwegian Tunnelling Network (visit to Carretera Austral 27th March 2023)
Description of the Carretera Austral (Route 7)
Carretera Austral provides road connection to Chile's Aysén Region and southern parts of Los Lagos Region. The area are sparsely populated and despite the length, Carretera Austral provides access to only about 100,000 people. The largest city along the entire road is Coyhaique with a population of 45 000 inhabitants.
The entire route need an upgrade in terms of improved standard on road, tunnels and bridges to develop a more efficient road network in the region.
The Carretera Austral projects in the south have already identified several opportunities to improve the connections, and the Norwegian experts identified additional opportunities to shorten the travel time by implementing new ideas, using tunnels, bridges and improved technologies for ferry connections.
Photo: Arild Petter Sovik, Norwegian Tunnelling Network (visit to Carretera Austral 27th March 2023)
A very well arranged technical tour and meeting, forming the basis for future initiatives from the Norwegian team of experts.
Later the same week we had the opportunity to learn more about recent work in the southern part of Chile, where the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) are investigating connectivity in southern parts of Patagonia.