Chacao Channel bridge

The Chacao Channel bridge, also known as Chiloé Bicentennial Bridge, is a planned bridge that is to link the island of Chiloé with mainland Chile crossing the Chacao Channel. It was one of the several projects that were planned to commemorate the Chile's bicentennial in 2010. If completed as a suspension bridge, it would be the largest such bridge in South America.

Construction of the bridge was scheduled to start in the second half of 2007 and completion was due in late 2012 at an approximate cost of US$410 million. However, on 31 July 2006, the consortium in charge of the project revealed that the total cost of constructing the bridge was US$930 million, which was above the limit of US$607 million imposed by the government. In response, the ministry of Public Works decided not to continue with the project. To compensate the people of Chiloé for not building the bridge, then President Michelle Bachelet promised an upgrade to the island's infrastructure.

In June 2009, the Minister of Public Works announced it would revive the project. The bridge would be redesigned (it would no longer be a suspension bridge) and its total cost would be less than in the original design, due to the falling price of steel worldwide. The toll would be also cheaper than a ferry ticket.

In May 2012, President Sebastián Piñera again revived the project, announcing it would open an international bidding process to present the best solution for the construction of the bridge, with a US$740 million investment limit.

The Chacao Channel bridge would replace the ferry that connects the village of Chacao, Ancud Comuna, on Route 5 (Ruta 5 Sur) at the northern end of Chiloé Island across the Chacao Channel with the village of Pargua, Calbuco Comuna, on the mainland.

The original design for the bridge showed a total length of 2,635 m, consisting of three concrete towers (two 179.6 m high towers and one 160.77 m high south tower), two mainspans of 1,055 m and 1,100 m, and a suspended sidespan of 380 m, providing a minimum vertical clearance for navigation of 59 m. It was designed with two one-way lanes on each side. The bridge was designed for a lifespan of 100 years, resistant to winds over 240 km/h, and strong sea currents.

...
Wikipedia