Route 5 North: Escorted Convoy Operation for Supply Transport

The National Confederation of Truck Owners of Chile (CNDC) reported the start of a special road emergency operation on Route 5 North, designed to unblock the flow of cargo vehicles trapped by adverse weather conditions and ensure priority supply in the Atacama and Coquimbo regions. The strategy involves movements escorted by Carabineros and military personnel.

The measure establishes the alternate circulation of groups of up to 100 vehicles dedicated exclusively to the transport of basic supplies. The logistics were limited to a six-hour operating window.

"Government information specifies that convoy transit will last until 2:00 PM, starting from 8:00 AM. It was enabled only for trucks with supplies. These groups or convoys will consist of up to 100 trucks. The escort is with police or military personnel, at the beginning and end of the vehicle line," the CNDC communicated.

"The authority reported that the frequency of departures will be: one convoy dispatch every hour. The operation will close at 2:00 PM, and the closure of Route 5 at km 484 must be immediately reinstated," it added.

It should be noted that on Thursday, July 23, the transit of trucks in convoys began on Route 5 North, "however, total closures remain at kilometers 480 and 484. This is within the framework of the Emergency Transit Plan that the ministerial authority is applying," the guild specified.

"The departure of about 200 vehicles from the Vallenar sector to La Serena was planned. Near noon, the transfer of trucks from La Serena to the north, that is, in the opposite direction to the previous one, was coordinated, with Carabineros escort for alternate transits in both directions," it added.

"A traffic control is operating at kilometer 480 in the northbound direction, with the presence of police or military personnel. At km 484, a total closure to the north is maintained, also with uniformed personnel guarding," the CNDC complemented.

"In the Vallenar – Caldera sector of Route 5, there is a total traffic closure in the northbound direction at km 674, and another total traffic closure in the southbound direction at km 777," the group specified.

It is worth remembering that the storm that affected the "norte chico" of Chile caused multiple damages to the routes, paralyzing vehicle traffic on Route 5 in the Atacama Region, the country's main road and logistical axis. Sinkholes, floods, landslides, and collapses at different points of the highway forced its closure from Sunday, July 19.