President Kuczynski and Transport minister Martin Vizcarra were in Matucana this week to inaugurate the 306m Chacahuaro tunnel on the Central Highway.
The tunnel, at Km. 80 and at 2,550 meters above sea level, has been built at a key point on the highway where landslides occur almost every year during the rainy season, often closing traffic for several days. The tunnel will allow vehicle traffic to circumvent the bend in the highway and move freely through the mountain. The cost of the tunnel was S/.23 million.
According to Vizcarra, other critical points on the highway are between Km. 46 and 64, where flash floods have caused landslides in recent weeks. He also said that of the 66 bridges along the highway, 22 require repairs in the short term.
The highway, Carretera Central, is the main route between Lima and the length of the central Andes and the cloud forest, linking the coast to the regions of Junin, Pasco, Huanuco, Ucayali, San Martin, Huancavelica and Ayacucho. It is also the main food supply route for the capital.
