Road route discussions for Chilean capital

Plans for key urban highway connections are still the subject of discussion for Chilean capital Santiago. An alternative route for the Costanera Highway has been proposed by representatives for Santiago's La Florida district of Santiago. This road will connect La Florida district with the city centre and Ruta 78 to the west of Santiago. The new proposal differs from the plan proposed in 2009 by the 968 Chilean Government and contractor 980 OHL however. The previous route involves the destruction of green spaces and could create severe traffic bottlenecks within La Florida district, according to detractors of this plan. A tunnel on the original route would also have intersected with a possible extension to the Metro system. A solution to the new link will have to be found however, and soon. The Costanera Central project is considered to be a high priority as the district's population is expected to grow from 400,000 in 2009 to 550,000 by 2015.