Chile upgrades regional roads and traffic signals in O’Higgins and Biobío

The O’Higgins regional government, led by Seremi Julio Gutiérrez Sepúlveda, installed a new traffic‑light system at the intersection of Carretera del Cobre with El Guindal and Las Higueras in Machalí. The project, part of the National Traffic Management Plan, aims to serve about 2,000 residents and reduce vehicle wait times that had reached up to 147 seconds. It makes O’Higgins the first Chilean region where all municipalities’ signals are linked to the UOCT monitoring network.

In the Biobío region, the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) inaugurated paving works on the 16‑kilometre Ruta Yumbel‑Rere (O‑60). The $5.1 billion Chilean‑peso project adds a double‑asphalt surface, improving safety and travel speed for thousands of inhabitants. Officials highlighted the road’s role in supporting local agriculture, tourism and heritage, with subsecretary Nicolás Balmaceda calling it a “territorial justice” measure that ends years of “mud in winter and dust in summer.”