- Paso Libertadores
Infobox Mountain Pass
Name =Los Libertadores Pass
Photo =
Caption =
Elevation = convert|3500|m|ft|0|abbr=on
Location = CHL / ARG
Range =Andes
Coordinates = coord|-32.82724|-70.09213|type:pass_region:AR
Topographic
Traversed by =
The "Paso Libertadores", also called Cristo Redentor, is a
mountain pass in theAndes betweenArgentina andChile . It is the main transport route out of Chilean capital city Santiago into Mendoza city in Argentina and so carries quite heavy traffic.From the Argentinian side the route to the pass is a slow, gentle incline until entering a tunnel at around convert|3500|m|ft|0|abbr=on through the mountains. On the Chilean side the slope has a far higher grade, and the road descends down a long series of switch-backs to make the descent.
Opened in 1980, the tunnel is convert|3080|m|ft|0|abbr=on long, at an elevation of convert|3175|m|ft|0|abbr=on, and serves as an important land crossing between Chile and Argentina. The path can be closed during winter because of heavy snows blocking both ends and the threat of
rockfall .Its name comes from the 4
ton Christ the Redeemer of the Andes ("Cristo Redentor de los Andes") statue placed in 1904 near the entrance of the Argentine side at an elevation of convert|4000|m|ft|0|abbr=on.Alternative proposed tunnels
In order to ease the dependence on this only tunnel in the area and to permit year-round crossing, two lower tunnels have been proposed. One of them is the "Túnel Juan Pablo II" ("John Paul II Tunnel"), which would be constructed at an altitude of between convert|2250|m|ft|0|abbr=on and convert|2720|km|ft|0|abbr=on, convert|20|km|mi|0|abbr=on long, to join the towns of
Horcones (Argentina) andJuncal (Chile).Another proposed tunnel, named "Paso Las Leñas" ("
Las Leñas Pass"), at an elevation of convert|2050|m|ft|0|abbr=on and convert|13|km|mi|0|abbr=on of length, would connect El Sosneado in Argentina (near San Rafael) and Machali, Chile.External links
* [http://www.gendarmeria.gov.ar/pasos/fichcris.htm Official site] of Cristo Redentor by
Argentine National Gendarmerie
* [http://home.no.net/lotsberg/data/argentina/list.html Tunnels in Argentina]
* [http://www.cuyo.com/altamontana/cristoredentor.asp Cristo Redentor Statue]
* [http://www.aca.org.ar/servicios/turismo/vial/pasos.html Updated state of different tunnels and crossings in Argentina]
* [http://www.frsr.utn.edu.ar/general.html Paso Las Leñas] at UTN Facultad de San Rafael, Mendoza.
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