Works on Route 5 - North Access to Santiago is costing close to €190 million ($220 million) and has an official deadline for execution of 28 months.

In July, after a long tender process, FCC Chile began construction works for the project entitled "Conversion to urban standard of Santiago access road through Route 5 North". The project is commissioned by the Ministry of Public Works and Globalvía, Sociedad Concesionaria de la Autopista del Aconcagua "Pan-American Highway Route 5 North Santiago-Los Vilos".

Six of the most important construction companies in the country were invited to take part in the tender, where they competed to be awarded the collection of works worth around €190 million ($220 million) and for which the terms of the tender stipulate a maximum period of execution of 28 months (2 years and 4 months). However, FCC offered to complete the project in a timeframe of 20 months, which played a pivotal role to ensuring the company was awarded the contract.

This 15 kilometre-long intervention will improve movement along a road where, in 2014 alone, over 18.5 million vehicles passed, including private, passenger and cargo vehicles, coming from both the surrounding areas and major production centres located in the north of the country.

Throughout the execution, works on Route 5 North Access to Santiago will provide employment to more than 500 people from nearby communities. This also indicates that the project will play a direct role in the economic and social revitalisation of these communities.

Amongst the most significant features of the project, the number of lanes in each direction in the main section of the highway increases from three to four between the Quilicura Interchange, located at the intersection with the Américo Vespucio junction, and the Buenaventura interchange, where it will then continue with 3 lanes up to the Lampa toll road, where the route ends.

The project will expand and provide continuation to the roads, or service roads, at both sides of the 15 kilometre-long stretch, with a road with two one-way lanes at each end that includes cycle lanes along the whole section. The service roads are currently affected by the lack of same-level interchanges, which causes severe traffic congestion at these points.

There will also be 14 pedestrian walkways distributed throughout the section with the aim of avoiding accidents which generally implicate pedestrians due to the lack of actual permeability along Route 5 for these users. Likewise, and in line with the transformation of service roads, 10 quick exit interchanges will be built. One of these interchanges links with the Eje Lo Marcoleta project, which is also being carried out by FCC, although in this case the client is the Housing and Urban Development Service (SERVIU), who report to the Ministry of Housing.

The auxiliary works, actions and installations to be implemented are equally as important, such as: noise abatement using anti-noise screens; reusing materials from other works for the filling process; installing lights along the whole section, both on the main section of the motorway as well as on the service roads; construction of control centre, operations and assistance; transformation of the toll station; traffic control systems (cameras, shadow toll, speed control, etc.).

Among the most representative units of the Route 5 Santiago North Access project, it is worth pointing out the paving process, with 250,000 tonnes of asphalt mixes, as well as the construction of overpasses on the interchanges by building 50,000 m2 reinforced earth walls, abutments and precast beams. Due to their volume and impact it is important to mention the actions concerning the management and handling of the affected services, services which have conditioned the starting point and direction of works.