This mega structure is 1.4 kilometers long, 2.5 meters high, and 12 to 16 meters wide. The objective was to rehabilitate the old tunnels, providing them with durability and structural resistance to withstand water speeds up to 6 meters per second”, says Claudio Poblete, Specification and Projects Manager at Tecnovial.
In addition to the scope of the project, there was the challenge of lining the tunnels without digging, so as not to interrupt the busy traffic on Valparaíso's main avenue. “To achieve this, a relining method was specified using our Tunnel Liner system to which a concrete reinforcement was then applied, thus allowing corrective maintenance of the damaged structure, fully complying with the geometric and design requirements”, Ismael Silva, Specification and Projects Engineer at Tecnovial, tells us.
The construction works of the Avenida Argentina Collector were carried out by the Ministry of Public Works, through the Directorate of Hydraulic Works, and represented a total investment of more than 24,100 million pesos carried out during the three stages of the project. It included the construction of two tunnels from Santos Ossa to its discharge into the sea to avoid problems of flooding and waterlogging of the streets in the downtown sector of the city.
“With this gigantic work of engineering, the city will be able to be fully prepared for any intense weather frontal system, since it has an enormous capacity to channel the rainwater that will be dragged from the hills and the plain through its various collection systems. We are very happy because the people of Valparaiso can feel safe and secure, since as of today this is fully operational”, said the Governor of the Province of Valparaiso, Maria de los Angeles de la Paz during the inauguration of the project.
