Chacao Channel bridge
Encyclopedia
The Chacao Channel bridge, officially decreed Chiloé Bicentennial Bridge, was a planned suspension bridge
that was 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, it would have been the largest suspension 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 July 31, 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 Chilean state. Because of this, the ministry of Public Works decided not to continue with the project, resulting in outrage by some people of Chiloé, who saw this as a broken promise by the previous government of the same coalition. The mayors of Chiloé's communes, most of them part of the ruling left-wing coalition, criticized the ministry of Public Works for cancelling the project. To compensate the people of Chiloé for not building the bridge, president Michelle Bachelet
promised a variety of improvements of the island's infrastructure.
In June 2009, the government announced it was reviving 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.
via two one-way lanes on each side. The bridge, which is designed for a lifespan of 100 years, would be resistant to winds over 240 km/h, magnitude 10 earthquake
s (Richter scale) and strong sea currents.
company VINCI Construction Grand Projets
, German company Hochtief
, American Bridge Company
and Chilean companies Besalco and Tecsa. Hochtief is overall leader, French company VINCI is technical lead, and American Bridge is contributing cable spinning and deck erection technology.
, which takes about 25-45 minute
s. With the bridge, the time would be reduced to less than three minutes travelling at a speed of 100 km/h (63 mph).
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
that was to link the island of Chiloé
Chiloé Island
Chiloé Island , also known as Greater Island of Chiloé , is the largest island of the Chiloé Archipelago off the coast of Chile, in the Pacific Ocean...
with mainland Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
crossing the Chacao Channel
Chacao Channel
The Chacao Channel is located in Los Lagos Region, Chile and separates Chiloé Island from mainland Chile. The channel was created during the Quaternary glaciations by successive glaciers that flowed down fron the Andes to the coast...
. It was one of the several projects that were planned to commemorate the Chile's bicentennial in 2010. If completed, it would have been the largest suspension bridge in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
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 July 31, 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 Chilean state. Because of this, the ministry of Public Works decided not to continue with the project, resulting in outrage by some people of Chiloé, who saw this as a broken promise by the previous government of the same coalition. The mayors of Chiloé's communes, most of them part of the ruling left-wing coalition, criticized the ministry of Public Works for cancelling the project. To compensate the people of Chiloé for not building the bridge, president Michelle Bachelet
Michelle Bachelet
Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria is a Social Democrat politician who was President of Chile from 11 March 2006 to 11 March 2010. She was the first woman president of her country...
promised a variety of improvements of the island's infrastructure.
In June 2009, the government announced it was reviving 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.
Dimensions and features
The bridge's length would total 2,635 m, and would consist 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 would link Highway Ruta 5 Sur near Pargua with Chiloé near ChacaoChacao
Chacao may refer to the following articles:*Chacao Municipality - a municipality of Caracas, Venezuela*Chacao Channel*Chacao Channel bridge*Chacao , a Venezuelan cacique from the 16th century*Chacao Indian...
via two one-way lanes on each side. The bridge, which is designed for a lifespan of 100 years, would be resistant to winds over 240 km/h, magnitude 10 earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s (Richter scale) and strong sea currents.
Design and construction
Design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance was awarded for 30 years to the Chiloé Bicentennial Bridge Consortium, consisting of FrenchFrench people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
company VINCI Construction Grand Projets
VINCI
Vinci is a French concessions and construction company, formerly called Société Générale d'Enterprises. It employs over 179,000 people and is the largest construction company in the world by revenue. Vinci is listed at Euronext's Paris stock exchange and is a member of the CAC 40 index...
, German company Hochtief
Hochtief
Hochtief Aktiengesellschaft is Germany's largest construction company. It is based in Essen but operates globally, ranking as the top general builder in the United States through its Turner Corporation subsidiary, and in Australia through the Leighton Group. In 2010 it employed more than 70,000...
, American Bridge Company
American Bridge Company
The American Bridge Company is a privately held civil engineering firm specializing in the construction and renovation of bridges and other large civil engineering projects, founded in 1900, and headquartered in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh.-Products and industry positioning:The...
and Chilean companies Besalco and Tecsa. Hochtief is overall leader, French company VINCI is technical lead, and American Bridge is contributing cable spinning and deck erection technology.
Advantages
Currently, the only way to reach Chiloé from the mainland is by ferryFerry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
, which takes about 25-45 minute
Minute
A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units...
s. With the bridge, the time would be reduced to less than three minutes travelling at a speed of 100 km/h (63 mph).