An avenue originally serving as a boundary between the city and its suburbs has evolved into an urban highway thanks to the construction of two separate platforms for each direction of traffic. A primary bridge extends over the existing highway and includes a secondary viaduct that connects traffic from a business complex. A two-level cut-and-cover trench accommodates north-south traffic on the lower level and south-north traffic on the upper. A hybrid tunnel was constructed where the route intersects with the Santiago Metro, including a traditional mining tunnel for the upper level, with the lower level constructed as a covered trench.

The project also preserves and enhances the boulevard’s substantial green space and a park esplanade. Delivered on budget and on time in nearly five years by a consortium of two Spanish companies, the team, comprised of people from Chile and Spain, worked hard to establish a cohesive culture, the project team says. With design and construction occurring nearly concurrently, the team says it “was essential” that contractors and designers “adhered to a clear strategy” to minimize the project’s environmental impacts, optimize the construction processes and reduce schedule timelines by overlapping multiple simultaneous work fronts.