Specifically, it includes improvements to the current routes 152 (75.1 kilometers) and 158 (14.1 km) and a new 6.9 km dual carriageway layout, which will directly connect Route 152 with Route 146.

Sacyr Concessions has been awarded the second concession for the Itata Route, a highway connecting the Ñuble and Biobío regions. The contract includes the improvement, construction, maintenance, and operation of existing and new works, for 516 million euros (US$562 million) and a maximum term of 45 years.

Specifically, it includes the improvement of the current routes 152 (75.1 kilometers) and 158 (14.1 km) and a new 6.9 km dual carriageway layout, which will directly connect Route 152 with Route 146, another concession also held by Sacyr through the company Valles del Biobío, which links the municipalities of Concepción and Cabrero.

The project seeks to rehabilitate existing roadways, rectify layouts, and create new bridges and service road sections, improving safety and comfort standards for users, according to the Spanish company in a statement.

Among the main works, the new concession includes 10 new interchanges, 2 bridges, 2 viaducts, 24 new bus stops, 12 new footbridges, service roads, circuits and a new pedestrian bridge, more than 7 kilometers of cycle lanes, signage and demarcation, and the implementation of the electronic payment system ( free flow ).

Among the rehabilitation works, the main ones include updating road safety with vertical and horizontal markings, a containment system, reconfiguration of bus stops and pedestrian sidewalks, and improvements to sanitation and drainage systems and lighting systems.

"This project adds a new route to the current portfolio we have at Sacyr Concesiones Chile, demonstrating that as a group we continue to be committed to the country's development with the goal of improving the quality of life of people in the different regions where we operate," says Fernando Ruiz de la Torre, general manager of Sacyr Concesiones in Chile.

Sacyr has been present in Chile since 1996, when it was awarded its first concession for the construction and operation of the Los Vilos-La Serena highway.

Currently, it operates five airports, eleven concessioned routes, seven hospitals in different stages of construction, and five plants that cover the entire water cycle, as well as projects such as the construction of the New Railway Bridge.