The Carretera Austral (CH-7, ''in English: Southern Way'') is the name given to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

's Route 7. The highway runs south for about from

Puerto Montt Puerto Montt (Mapuche: Meli Pulli) is a port city and commune in southern Chile, located at the northern end of the Reloncaví Sound in the Llanquihue Province, Los Lagos Region, 1,055 km to the south of the capital, Santiago. The commune ...

to Villa O'Higgins, passing through rural

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and ...

. Carretera Austral provides road access to Chile's

Aysén Region The Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Region ( es, Región de Aysén, , '), often shortened to Aysén Region or Aisén,Examples of name usage1, official regional government site refers to the region as "Región de Aysén"., Chile's of ...

and southern parts of

Los Lagos Region Los Lagos Region ( es, Región de Los Lagos , ''Region of the Lakes'') is one of Chile's 16 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé, Llanquihue, Osorno and Palena. The region contains ...

. These areas are sparsely populated and despite its length, Carretera Austral provides access to only about 100,000 people. The largest city along the entire road is

Coyhaique Coyhaique (), also spelled Coihaique in Patagonia, is the capital city of both the Coyhaique Province and the Aysén Region of Chile. Founded by settlers in 1929, it is a young city. Until the twentieth century, Chile showed little interest in ...

with a population of 44,850 in 2002.

History

Construction of the highway was commenced in 1976 under the dictatorship of

Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, , , ; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean general who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the leader of the Military Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981, being declared President of ...

in order to connect a number of remote communities. Before that, in the 1950s and 1970s, there had been unsuccessful attempts to build access roads in the region. It is among the most ambitious infrastructure projects developed in Chile during the 20th century. As it was constructed during the military dictatorship, the Carretera Austral bears the unofficial name of the

highway. Carretera Austral has a strategic meaning due to the difficult access by land to a significant portion of Chile's southern territory. This area is characterized by thick

forests A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

fjords In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Icela ...

glaciers A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...

, canals and steep mountains. Access by sea and air is also a complex task due to extreme winter weather conditions. For decades, most of the land transportation had to cross the border to Argentina in order to reach again Chile's

. These difficulties were deepened during the 1970s due to the Beagle Conflict crisis. In order to strengthen the Chilean presence in these isolated territories and ensure the land connection to the rest of the country, the government planned the construction of this road, which was executed by the

Chilean Army The Chilean Army ( es, Ejército de Chile) is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade. In recent years, and a ...

's Engineering Command. More than 10,000 soldiers worked on its construction. The highway opened to traffic in 1988, and by 1996 was completed to Puerto Yungay. The last to Villa O'Higgins were opened in 2000. In 2003, a branch road to Caleta Tortel was finished.

Places along the highway

Reloncaví Sound Reloncaví Sound or ''Seno de Reloncaví'' is a body of water immediately south of Puerto Montt, a port city in the Los Lagos Region of Chile. It is the place where the Chilean Central Valley meets the Pacific Ocean. The Calbuco Archipelago c ...

** Chamiza Wetland * Contao * Hornopirén (Río Negro) * Hornopirén National Park * Yelcho Lake * Pumalín Park * Chaitén * Queulat National Park *

* Balmaceda * Río Ibáñez * Cerro Castillo * General Carrera Lake *

Cochrane Cochrane may refer to: Places Australia *Cochrane railway station, Sydney, a railway station on the closed Ropes Creek railway line Canada * Cochrane, Alberta * Cochrane Lake, Alberta * Cochrane District, Ontario ** Cochrane, Ontario, a town wit ...

* Baker River *Confluence of the Baker River and the

Nef River The Nef River is a river of Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip o ...

* Patagonia Park * Caleta Tortel * Villa O'Higgins

Ferry crossings

Traveling the entire route requires the use of three ferry services, : # A 40-minute crossing about south of the start of the highway in Puerto Montt, between Fishing Creeks "La Arena" and "Puelche". This ferry service runs 24/7 with departures every 30 minutes approx. in the day (at night the activity decreases). During the summer (Dec–Feb) the number of departures is increased with boardings every 15, 30 and 45 minutes; the boarding is in order of arrival for passengers, vehicles, motorcycles and bikes. Tickets are available at the waiting line, where personal will approach the vehicle. Check prices and schedules on the ferry's website
www.transportesdelestuario.cl
Passengers without vehicle can board for free during the entire year. Onboard there are restrooms, coffee shops and passengers may walk around the ferry to enjoy the view during the ride. # a 5-hour crossing from Hornopiren (110 kilometers (68 miles) south of Puerto Montt) to Caleta Gonzalo, which requires passengers to purchase tickets prior to boarding. This can be done online at the sit
www.taustral.cl
where you can also check prices and schedules. On board the ferries there are large passengers' rooms, with coffee shops and restrooms. Passengers can also enjoy the view in the ferry's deck during the ride. # a 50-minute crossing from Puerto Yungay to Rio Bravo, connecting to the final of the highway.

Current activity

The highway began as almost entirely unpaved, but more sections are becoming paved each year. As of March 2018, the paved road ends at Villa Cerro Castillo, with roadworks going on just south of there. There is also a plan to extend the road to

Magallanes Region The Magallanes Region (), officially the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region ( es, Región de Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena), is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. It is the southernmost, largest, and second lea ...

, which still lacks domestic road connection to the rest of Chile. This means constructing a branch Rio Bravo- Ventisquero Montt- Puerto Natales, with 9 ferry crossings planned. By January 2007, the construction on the Rio Bravo-Ventisquero Montt section had begun, with the branch off point from the main Rio Bravo-Villa O'Higgins road being at .

Gallery

Image:Carreteraceniza.JPG, Carretera Austral near Caleta Gonzalo Image:Carretera Austral.jpg, Carretera Austral near Caleta Gonzalo Image:Villa-ohiggins-chile.jpg, Villa O'Higgins, the end of Carretera Austral

References

External links

The Route of Parks of Chilean Patagonia - Hornopirén National Park
{{Authority control Roads in Chile Transport in Aysén Region Transport in Los Lagos Region Coasts of Los Lagos Region