Route 68 begins environmental assessment for 570 million dollar works

The Environmental Evaluation Service of the Metropolitan Region published this Friday, November 13, in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, the summary of the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for the project “Improvement of Route 68: Santiago - Lo Prado Toll”, submitted on November 6, 2026, by Sociedad Concesionaria Ruta 68 a la Costa S.A. The text, endorsed by the Evaluation Commission of the Metropolitan Region, enables the consultation process and citizen observations for a period of 60 business days.

The publication was made in compliance with articles 26 and 28 of Law No. 19,300, on General Bases of the Environment, and article 88 of DS No. 40/2012 of the Ministry of the Environment, which establishes the Regulations of the Environmental Impact Evaluation System (SEIA). The official document is Letter No. 2026130033, signed in Santiago on November 6 by Jorge Ignacio Grez Morales, regional director (S) of the SEA RM, and addressed to the representative of the holder, José Ricardo González Concha.

A 19-kilometer urban corridor and 570 million dollars

The project is located in the urban section of Route 68, with an approximate extension of 19 kilometers between the Pajaritos sector and the Lo Prado Toll, in the communes of Estación Central, Lo Prado, and Pudahuel, Metropolitan Region. The initiative does not involve a new route: it is executed over the existing road axis.

The central figures of the file are as follows:

• Estimated investment: US$570,000,000.
• Construction phase: 48 months, with an indefinite useful life.
• Temporary works: 38.30 hectares; permanent works: 143.12 hectares.
• Main works: rectification of the roadway, third and fourth lanes, undergrounding via trenches—including a section of the Pajaritos Node—and replacement of the bridges over the Mapocho river and the Colina stream.
• Complements: interchanges, crossings, and overpasses; footbridges, plaza-bridges, and bus stops; service roads, bike lanes, sidewalks, and sanitation and drainage works; permanent acoustic barriers, and an Orbital Toll Plaza.
• Green areas: Wetland Park and Interpretation Center in the Mapocho river sector and 30,000 m² of park within the Lo Prado Intercommunal Park.

Mapocho Wetland and expropriations: the declared impacts

The project enters the SEIA under the typology of literal e.8) of article 3 of the Regulations, as it is a public road that may affect protected areas, with works in the Mapocho River Urban Wetland and in the Colina stream. Typologies e.7), p), and s) of the same article also apply.

The EIS recognizes significant impacts in two areas:

• Invertebrate fauna: IFAI-01, loss of specimens of Grammostola rosea (Chilean rose hair tarantula), a species classified as Vulnerable.
• Human environment, all in construction phase: IMH-01 resettlement due to expropriation of housing, land, or infrastructure; IMH-02 modification of productive and commercial patterns; IMH-03 alteration of social cohesion and rootedness; IMH-12 impact due to the loss of the Estación Central Urban Forest.

To this end, the proponent proposes measure MT-01, for the rescue and relocation of the Chilean rose hair tarantula, and a block of compensations from MC-01 to MC-17, ranging from the socialization of the resettlement plan and support for housing subsidies to temporary rental programs, psychosocial support, labor reconnection, restart of commercial activity, and replacement of the urban forest. The file also includes an environmental monitoring plan and voluntary commitments.

Public consultation and confidentiality of records

The EIA will be available for consultation on the SEA website and at the offices of the Metropolitan Region (Miraflores No. 178, 3rd floor, Santiago), the Metropolitan Regional Government (Bandera No. 46), and the municipalities of Estación Central, Lo Prado, and Pudahuel. Observations may be submitted through the Citizen Portal, the Virtual Filing Office, or the regional office, providing environmental grounds and the RUN identification of those submitting them.

The RM SEA resolved, through exempt resolution No. 202613101558, dated October 28, 2026, to keep part of the records provided by the proponent confidential, as it involves sensitive information protected by Law No. 19.628. The extract further specifies that its endorsement does not constitute a ruling on the environmental qualification of the project.

Why it matters

Route 68 is one of the most heavily trafficked access roads in the country and connects the capital with the coast; therefore, a work of this magnitude—with underpasses, expropriations, and 48 months of construction—will affect the daily lives of drivers and residents of three communes in the western sector. The publication formally opens the window for residents, organizations, and municipalities to influence the design before an environmental qualification resolution is issued.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,598, Friday, November 13, 2026, Section I, pp. 1-4 (official reference: CVE 2901615).