Carretera Austral
Template: Infobox trunk road / Maintenance / CL- RL
Región (Region):
- Los Lagos
- Aysen
The Carretera Austral ( official name Ruta CH -7, formerly Carretera Presidente Pinochet ) is a 1,350 -kilometer road in Chile, which runs from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins to the southern border of the Región de Aysen. The construction of the road is not yet completed. It has the status of a national longitudinal axis.
Construction
For a long time the south of Chile accessible only by plane or ship. The Pan-American Highway did not lead through this rough area, but over Argentina to Tierra del Fuego; the reason lies in the dense forest cover of the area, whereas the Argentine Patagonia is very sparse and thus far easier to cultivate.
In 1976 began under dictator Augusto Pinochet, the construction work on a road through the South. The Carretera Austral was the most expensive project in Chile in the 20th century. Starting point for the construction was the city of Puerto Montt. More than 10,000 soldiers were temporarily used for construction. The road turned out to be extremely difficult because the landscape of fjords, glaciers and mountain ranges is crossed.
More than 20 years to build the road. The pure north-south route proved to be technically impossible. To run some 1,150 km from north to south and about 229 km from west to east. The northern part between Puerto Montt and Chaitén is not yet completed. Between Hornopirén and Caleta Gonzalo a ferry.
The construction cost about 200 million U.S. dollars. Nevertheless, large parts are just simple gravel roads; the maintenance and care is proving to be costly. The road is a hot tip for enduro riders who want to enjoy the magnificent scenery.
Cities
Towns along the Carretera Austral from north to south:
- Puerto Montt
- Chaitén
- Coyhaique
- Puerto Ingeniero Ibáñez
- Chile Chico
- Cochrane
- Puerto Yungay
- Villa O'Higgins
Continuation of the construction
To close the gap between the Región de Magallanes y Antártica Chilena de la and the rest of Chile in the long term, the military Baukommando Cuerpo Militar de Trabajo the construction of the missing section continues in spite of very difficult terrain. This should extend to the west of the Campo de Hielo Sur parallel to the Messier Channel. Currently working on two sections between Rio Bravo and Jorge Montt Glacier in the north and between Puerto Natales and the Stanley Fjord in the south. For the 935 missing miles 25 to 30 years of construction are estimated, the plan goes from nine ferry because of the rugged terrain of the fjords.