07/18/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/18/2024 17:04
In the presence of the Minister of Public Works of Chile, Jessica López, the trial run of Ruta del Loa was inaugurated (stage prior to commissioning), ISA's road project that will start operating in that country. This is a 111-kilometer, high-tech, two-way traffic that connects three important localities: Carmen Alto, Sierra Gorda and Calama in the north of the country.
The execution of Ruta del Loa is an important milestone for ISA in its strategy for growth and consolidation of the road business unit, as it is the first greenfield (i.e., built from scratch) project awarded to the company to design, build, operate and maintain the road infrastructure in this area.
The ISA project, developed by ISA INTERVIAL, will begin formal operation in July. It includes an infrastructure that includes the improvement and widening to four lane of the current Route 25, one of the main productive and tourist areas of the country, which will directly benefit more than 180,000 people.
Thanks to its modern construction and high-standard technology, the new route will have greater road capacity and increased safety levels for users, will reduce travel times and improve the movement of heavy and oversized transports. In addition, Ruta del Loa will improve the connection to Antofagasta, gateway to the Atacama Desert and an area of important mining richness and tourist attractions. The road will also allow for greater development and competitiveness in the country's main productive sector, stimulating industrial and commercial activity.
"With Ruta del Loa we honor our commitment to long-term investments that contribute to the socioeconomic development and competitiveness of the countries in the sectors in which we operate. We also make an important contribution from the road business to the energy transition, which is achieved, among other actions, through the reduction of travel times, the promotion of clean energy and efficiency in consumption, since the new infrastructure includes lighting with more than 2000 LED luminaires that are powered by high-tech solar panels", stated Gabriel Melguizo Posada, ISA's interim CEO.
ISA, through ISA INTERVIAL, has more than 20 years of experience in PPP projects. It is currently the largest developer of interurban road concessions in Chile, with 553 kilometers in operation. In Colombia, it is the concessionaire of the Costera Cartagena-Barranquilla Highway, which has a length of 146 kilometers in the operational stage. A new geography, Panama, was added to this portfolio with the 246-kilometer Ruta del Este.
Once Ruta del Loa is officially commissioned, ISA's road business will have 810 kilometers of infrastructure in operation and 296 kilometers under construction.