Tech know-how eases cherry road congestion

At the crack of dawn one day in May, Wang Xinduan, an engineer working on the Talca-Chillan section, or Taqi section, of Chile's Route 5, arrived at the Rio Carlo main toll station.

After coordinating with toll collectors and conducting routine checks on the electronic toll collection system, he headed to the construction site.

Wang jokingly greeted a local colleague named Sandia, but little did he know that his mispronunciation would lead to laughter. "I accidentally emphasized the wrong syllable, which means watermelon in Spanish," Wang chuckled. Though he has lived in Chile for 10 years, his Spanish is still not fluent. But that does not stand in the way of the camaraderie he shares with the locals. Sometimes, it has even helped lighten the mood.

For Wang, it is not watermelons that are on his mind. It is cherries, the fruit from Chile that has gained fame in China. The Maule region, where the Taqi section of Route 5 is located, happens to be Chile's leading cherry-producing region, with a well-established integrated industry chain encompassing cultivation, storage, sales and transportation.

Cherries are a significant export for Chile, with 70 to 80 percent of it heading to China. Shipping cherries from Chile to China via sea takes over 20 days, so ensuring timely delivery of cherries — picked from the orchards to refrigeration centers at the port — is an important concern for farmers. That is where the Taqi section of Route 5, which is operated by China Railway Construction Corporation, or CRCC, plays a significant role.

As part of the world's longest road, the Pan-American Highway, the Chilean section of Route 5 runs from the border with Peru in the north to the port city of Puerto Montt in the south, serving as a vital traffic artery connecting the northern and southern ends of Chile.

The Taqi section, spanning about 195 kilometers, is one of the busiest stretches on the Pan-American Highway.

"Before we took over, this section was frequently congested, especially at toll stations, with traffic jams stretching 4 to 5 km being a common occurrence," Wang said.

In April 2021, the CRCC took charge of the Taqi section in Chile under a "build-operate-transfer" model. The project included expanding and renovating existing roads, designing and building a 54-km bypass, and installing 13 electronic toll systems.

Last September, two main toll stations on Taqi were completed and put into operation, and the electronic toll system was officially launched.

"This system is state of the art. Cars don't have to stop or slow down; they can drive at a speed of at least 120 kilometers per hour without any issues," Wang said.

As a result, travel time on the Taqi section has been reduced by about 30 to 40 minutes, with a 17 percent year-on-year decrease in traffic congestion, said Marco Franco, design manager of the project, adding that the shortened travel time has significantly expedited the transportation of cherries, ensuring better quality.

Up to speed

On Route 5, trucks loaded with export-bound fruits can be seen racing down the road, with many carrying cherries destined for China. "Everyone calls this road the 'cherry road'," Wang said.

According to a report by the Chilean Fruit Exporters Association, Chile exported a total of 371,543 metric tons of cherries to China in the 2022-23 season, accounting for 97 percent of total cherry exports to Asia. In the report's analysis, improved transportation conditions were listed as the second-most significant factor in the continued growth of exports, alongside favorable winter and spring climate with low temperatures, abundant rainfall and minimal frost.

Currently, around 70,000 vehicles pass through the Taqi section every day, with 110,000 vehicles on it during peak traffic.