New link planned to connect Chilean capital with satellite town

Plans are well in hand for a new link that will improve connections between capital Santiago and its fast growing satellite town of Lampa. The US$130 million project will shorten the current journey time of one hour to 35 minutes and is expected to carry some 10,000 - 17,000 vehicles/day when it opens to traffic. The highway will be called the Autopista Norponiente Santiago-Lampa and will improve access between Santiago and Lampa, a town that is expected to expand from its present population of 62,000 to 327,000 by 2020 if current growth predictions are accurate. The highway will be offered under the concession model to private sources and will run from Lampa through to the Cerro Navia, Renca and Quilicura districts in the west of Santiago. The detailed route will be unveiled in March 2011 but the link is planned to connect to the existing Costanera Norte highway and Santiago's international airport.