The project, promoted by Autopista Central together with the Ministry of Public Works and the Municipality of Quinta Normal, arose from the common motivation of recovering this public space by creating sports areas and making it a place where local inhabitants can meet.
An important public-private initiative was developed jointly by Autopista Central, of the VíasChile Group, the Ministry of Public Works, through the concession agreement Government Inspector, and the Municipality of Quinta Normal. It consists of a “Sports Corridor,” an initiative where sports-related activities can be held as a way to promote new uses of this space.
The space measures 800 m2 alongside the General Velásquez Road of Autopista Central, between Salvador Gutiérrez and José Luis Sanfuentes Streets in the municipality of Quinta Normal. Its route has three circuits differentiated by colors and distances, for use by youths, senior citizens and children riding tricycles and scooters.
This project was developed in a period of three months through collaborative work with the community where their needs and opinions were heard. Locals also participated in the conceptual design, the definition of activities and the painting of the circuits, which resulted in this “Sports Corridor.”
As an added value to this initiative, the Photio additive was added to the paint sealant, which replicates the photosynthesis process. Its use in this project is a way for Autopista Central to collaborate with the environment. This additive equals the CO2 emissions that would be captured by approximately 1,500 mature trees. The project’s contribution is not only focused on activating a public space but also on contributing to environmental decontamination.
In the words of Andrés Barberis, Chief Executive Officer of VíasChile, “Making a good use of public space that locals can take advantage of, and thereby offering better safety to all communities, is part of the objective that we proposed when we began this project. We are very happy to see how locals have participated, the attendance at meetings and collaboration in the painting of the space. When the public sector and the organized community unite, we can do great things. This Sports Corridor is the outcome of united efforts.”
According to Karina Delfino, Mayor of Quinta Normal, “This project is very important to us because this type of public–private initiative helps improve the city and provide safer spaces for the inhabitants of Quinta Normal.” And Juan Manuel Sánchez, General Director of Public Works Concessions, underscored that “This type of alliance improves the quality of life of all people and the inhabitants made this space their own because they did it participatively and must now care for it. I want to thank VíasChile, the concessionaire of Autopista Central, because today it is making huge efforts for these things to happen.”