![Tunel del Cristo Redentor - Chilean entrance](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Tunel_del_Cristo_Redentor_-_Chilean_entrance.jpg)
The Paso Internacional Los Libertadores, also called ''Cristo Redentor'', is a
mountain pass in the
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
between
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
and
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 east a ...
. It is the main transport route out of the Chilean capital city
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...
into
Mendoza city in Argentina and so carries quite heavy traffic.
Overview
From the Argentine side the route to the pass is a slow, gentle incline until entering a tunnel at approximately elevation. On the Chilean side the slope has a far higher grade, and the road descends down a long series of
switchbacks to make the descent.
Opened in 1980, the Tunnel of Christ the Redeemer (Spanish: Túnel Cristo Redentor) is long, and serves as an important land crossing between Chile and Argentina. At the middle of the tunnel is the national border, which is the termini of
Chile Route 60 and
Argentina Route 7. The path can be closed during winter because of heavy snows blocking both ends and the threat of
rockfall
A rockfall or rock-fallWhittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, 1984. . is a quantity/sheets of rock that has fallen freely from a cliff face. The term is also used for collapse of rock from roof or walls of mi ...
.
Its name comes from the four-ton ''
Christ the Redeemer of the Andes'' (''Cristo Redentor de los Andes'') statue placed in 1904 near the
Uspallata Pass
The Uspallata Pass, Bermejo Pass or Cumbre Pass, is an Andean pass which provides a route between the wine-growing region around the Argentine city of Mendoza, the Chilean city Los Andes and Santiago, the Chilean capital situated in the central ...
at an elevation of . The pass was the highest point of the road before the opening of the tunnel lowered the maximum elevation by , eliminated 65 switchbacks and shortened the route by .
On 19 September 2013, nearly 15,000 Chileans got stranded on the Argentine side, when the pass had to be closed for 10 hours because of freezing temperatures and between 40 and 50 centimeters of snow.
Alternative proposed tunnels
In order to ease the dependence on the only tunnel in the area and to permit year-round crossing, two lower tunnels have been proposed. One of them is the ''Túnel Juan Pablo II'' ("
John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
Tunnel"), which would be constructed at an altitude of between , long, to join the towns of
Horcones, Argentina and
Juncal, Chile.
Another proposed tunnel, named ''Paso Las Leñas'' ("
Las Leñas
Las Leñas is a ski resort in Argentina, located in the western part of Mendoza Province.
It has reliable powder snow and climate for extreme and off-piste skiing. Construction of the ski center began January 1983, and by July 1983, it opened wi ...
Pass"), at an elevation of and of length, would connect El Sosneado in Argentina (near
San Rafael) and
Machalí
Machalí is a Chilean commune and city in Cachapoal Province, O'Higgins Region.
Demographics
According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Machalí spans an area of and has 28,628 inhabitants (14,297 men and 14,331 women ...
, Chile.
The Aconcagua Bi-Oceanic railway is a proposal for a railway base tunnel under this pass.
References
External links
Official siteof Cristo Redentor by
Argentine National Gendarmerie
The Argentine National Gendarmerie ( es, Gendarmería Nacional Argentina, GNA) is the national gendarmerie force and corps of border guards of the Argentine Republic. It has a strength of 70,000.
The gendarmerie is primarily a frontier guard forc ...
Tunnels in Argentina''Cristo Redentor'' Statue*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060717103915/http://www.frsr.utn.edu.ar/general.html Paso Las Leñasat
UTN Facultad de San Rafael,
Mendoza.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Libertadores, Paso
Argentina–Chile border crossings
Landforms of Mendoza Province
Landforms of Valparaíso Region
Mountain passes of Chile
Mountain passes of Argentina
Mountain passes of the Andes
Tunnels in Chile
Tunnels in Argentina
Tunnels completed in 1980
Principal Cordillera
Road tunnels
1980 establishments in Argentina
1980 establishments in Chile
de:Túnel del Cristo Redentor
pl:Tunel Chrystusa Zbawiciela