Chile stalls key infrastructure projects in Puerto Montt and Concepción

The mayor of Puerto Montt, Rodrigo Wainraigt, said the Hito Cero project on the Carretera Austral has made no progress. He reported that there is no funding, no design work and that the Ministry of Public Works has not allocated resources, despite a 2025 public participation process that involved about 10,000 residents. Wainraigt announced that the municipal government has begun talks with central authorities to try to reactivate the project.

In Concepción, mayor Héctor Muñoz is pressing to have the Mercado Central stripped of its National Monument status, arguing that the heritage designation is a major obstacle to the market’s reconstruction. The regional culture minister and the Serviu rejected the claim, stating that the delays are due to multiple factors and that the monument status alone does not explain the slow progress. The mayor plans to submit a formal request to remove the designation if the council approves it.