Chile has broken ground on the US$450 million Lo Ruiz road tunnel, a flagship infrastructure project intended to relieve chronic congestion in the northern sector of Santiago. President Gabriel Boric, flanked by Public Works Minister Jessica López and local mayors, formally launched construction on Wednesday in the municipalities of Renca and Quilicura. The scheme calls for two 1.47-kilometre tubes bored beneath Cerro Lo Ruiz as part of a 5.8-kilometre network that will directly connect the General Velásquez corridor with Autopista Américo Vespucio Norte. Officials say the link should absorb roughly a quarter of current traffic on the northern stretch of General Velásquez and shave up to 20 minutes from peak-hour commutes through the heavily used Quilicura interchange. Work is scheduled to run for 50 months, putting the tunnel on course to open in 2029. The project is expected to generate about 600 jobs during construction and will add more than 100,000 square metres of green space, including three community parks and a three-kilometre cycle path, in the surrounding neighbourhoods.