OHLA has completed the engineering and construction of the Américo Vespucio Oriente I (AVO I) urban highway in Santiago de Chile, an initiative in which the company participates in a consortium. The project, considered one of the largest infrastructure projects in Chile, will save more than 40 minutes in travel time between the north and south of eastern Santiago. During the execution of this project, more than 3,800 people worked in shifts of 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The scope of the project includes the construction, maintenance and operation of this 9.1 km urban highway that runs through five districts (La Reina, Las Condes, Vitacura, Recoleta and Huechuraba) of Santiago de Chile and has three lanes in each direction for most of its length. The main technical actions carried out include a 1.4 km viaduct (El Salto) built over two highways in operation, 2.1 km of tunnel under the Mapocho River and Cerro San Cristóbal, and 5.5 km of double tunnel, one superimposed on top of the other.

The initiative has also included 164,000 m2 of landscaping, the most outstanding area of which is Avenida Américo Vespucio; a tree recovery campaign and compensatory environmental works, such as the construction of 7 km of bicycle lanes and walkways that guarantee accessibility for people with reduced mobility, a skatepark and two recycling clean points. Other noteworthy environmental actions have been the recycling of more than 2.3 million kg of steel and the reuse of 1,800,000 mt of material from excavation processed with a proprietary crushing facility.

In terms of systems, it has 6 ventilation shafts, more than 35 pressurized emergency exits, fire detection and protection systems, LED lighting, 8 electrical and communication rooms and 4 bilge pumps, all automated from the control center located in one of the 3 buildings built for the operation of the concession, totaling 7,500 m2.

In the field of innovation, for the first time a hybrid tunnel solution has been developed (execution of a first level in a conventional tunnel and a second lower level from the first one) and the BIM system has been used in the engineering and construction phase.

Four decades of presence in Chile

OHLA began its activity in Chile in 1981. Since then, it has maintained a permanent presence in the country, participating in major projects such as the construction of the 110 km section of Route 60, the access to the port of San Antonio and the Santiago-Los Vilos section. In addition to these initiatives, there are others, such as the construction of eight hospitals with more than 2,865 beds and 418,000 square meters, including the Military, Gustavo Fricke and Curicó Hospitals; the National Congress building in Valparaíso; the United States Embassy in Santiago, mining works, various projects for the Santiago de Chile Metro and the construction of the Valparaíso-Viña del Mar Metro.

The company’s portfolio also includes the construction of the Forensic Medical Service in Santiago, the concession contract to design, build and operate four hospitals in the region of Biobío (Santa Bárbara, Nacimiento, Coronel and Lota), the replacement of the police complex of the Investigative Police in Viña del Mar, the Carabineros training school in Concepción, the extension of line 3 of the Santiago Metro, the Santiago Justice Center concession, providing security, cleaning and maintenance services, and the peralting and construction of the walls of the tailings deposit of Minera Spence.