Chile’s Public Works ministry will take bids for a US$525-million highway on July 27, marking an ambitious infrastructure program started by the newly installed Piñera administration. The 30-year concession for a 245-km segment of Ruta 5 (the Panamerican Highway) between Los Vilos and La Serena, northeast of Santiago, will be awarded in August.

The tender follows the release of upbeat 2017 financial results for Chilean urban and interurban toll highways. The Vespucio ring road in Santiago and the city’s cross road, which handle 40% of the nation’s traffic, saw an earnings surge of 30% in 2017, year-on-year, reaching a combined US$296 million. At the same time, overall revenues advanced by 10.4% peaking at US$683 million on the Vespucio roads: Costanera Central, Autopista Central, Vespucio Sur, and Vespucio Norte.