Construction is slated to begin by 2016, for a unique public transportation solution for Chile’s largest city. More common to ski resorts, transport system will use a network of cables and gondolas to provide a creative solution to the city’s ever-increasing traffic and smog problems.

When completed, the “teleférico” would carry 146 cabins supported by 26 towers, and traverse a total of 3.4 km, taking passengers from the “Sanhatten” business area of town, to better connect the city with a growing business park on the other side of one of the higher hills in the city.

At a cost of $76 million, the state-of-the-art project is being implemented by the Ministry of Public Works (Ministerio de Obras Públicas), which will manage the concession agreement with a private group to manage the project.

As a highly anticipated public works project, the aerial lift system would serve to reduce smog by cleanly providing Santiaguiños with increased connectivity, and would undoubtedly double as a tourist attraction, with a unique view of the towering Andes mountains which circle the city of six million.

Upon completion in 2018, it is estimated that the cutting edge transport solution could handle a capacity of seven thousand passengers per hour.