A group of deputies from the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) asked the government to extend contract renegotiations with concession operators to intercity highways, according to CNN Chile. The call came after President José Antonio Kast announced an agreement with Autopista Central this Monday.
That agreement will cut TAG toll rates by between 10% and 25% starting in January 2027. According to the same outlet, negotiations cover only urban highways in the Metropolitan Region.
The signatories are Hotuiti Teao, from the Valparaíso Region; Natalia Romero, from O'Higgins; Cristóbal Martínez, from Ñuble; and Marlene Pérez, from Biobío. All four welcomed the agreement between the executive branch and the concession operator. However, they regretted that it leaves out the regions.
According to the lawmakers, the government "must still be open to negotiating with intercity highway operators", because the country's most expensive tolls are in the regions.
To support their point, they cited examples. On Route 60-CH, the toll near Quillota costs $8,050 for cars and pickup trucks during peak hours. Between Viña del Mar and Santiago, there are two tolls of $4,000 each on weekends. Ruta del Itata, which connects Ñuble and Biobío, charges $4,400.
The deputies argued that Santiago has several transport alternatives. In many regions, however, families depend on a single highway for their daily travel. They also alleged that some toll rates do not even correspond to the distances traveled.
The complaint has a political dimension. It comes from a party in the governing coalition and adds to criticism from the opposition. Socialist deputies and former presidential candidate Franco Parisi had already questioned the agreement, particularly the 20-month extension of the concession and the concentration of the benefits in Santiago.
The UDI did not rule out the possibility that the executive branch is already talking with other concession operators. "If they are already doing so, we hope they will announce which ones", they said. So far, the government has not said whether it will include intercity routes in the process, and the agreed reduction would only begin in January 2027.
