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Original article: “La participación ciudadana debe tener efectos reales”: comunidades llevan a la justicia ambiental la aprobación de la ruta entre Maipú y Pudahuel

The Second Environmental Tribunal has accepted a claim against the approval of the 9-kilometer Route 68/78 project, which will span Maipú and Pudahuel. This legal action was initiated by local communities and organizations asserting that «citizen participation must have real effects».

This decision marks a new judicial phase that will examine whether the environmental assessment adequately addressed the public’s concerns.

According to the report from the Ministry of Public Works’ Concessions Directorate (MOP), the project is located in the western sector of Santiago, between Pudahuel and Maipú, near the Mapocho River, situated between the connection of the «East-West System» and the «Santiago-Valparaíso-Viña del Mar Road Interconnection» to the north, and the connection with the «Santiago-San Antonio Highway, Route 78» to the south.

This road initiative involves creating an express route corridor approximately 9.17 kilometers long,
aimed at improving connectivity for the communities involved. It is also expected to provide a streamlined route
to and from the nation’s main ports and facilitate access to San Antonio and Valparaíso.

The project intends to alleviate congestion at access points to the neighboring regions of the Metropolitan Region, offering a previously nonexistent direct connection in the western area, benefiting 300,000 people living in the municipalities of Pudahuel and Maipú.

During the environmental qualification process, the municipalities of Maipú and Pudahuel opposed the construction of Route 68/78, citing territorial incompatibility and negative impacts on the surroundings. However, the project received environmental approval in December 2025, and according to the MOP Concessions Directorate, the development had reached an 18.66% completion rate by June 2026.

«No Responses Were Given to Citizen Observations»

Participants in the environmental evaluation accused in their claim that «there were no sufficiently substantiated responses to various citizen observations», particularly those related to air quality impacts, increased particulate matter, other associated vectors of contamination, and the project’s potential effects on community health.

They also criticized that the observations made during the public participation process were allegedly not addressed in accordance with legal requirements, «a situation that affects the communities’ right to participate effectively in environmental decisions.»

Mayka Martínez, one of the claimants, explained that by turning to environmental justice, the communities expect their technical contributions to be genuinely considered.

«The communities participated with technical information and specific concerns about the impacts this project may generate. We hope that these observations are genuinely taken into account and not merely treated as an administrative formality,» she stated.

Martínez stressed that in light of the alerts and observations raised by the communities, the state’s response must be well-founded and technical in nature.

«When citizens raise concerns about risks associated with particulate matter and other environmental vectors, the authorities have a duty to respond in a founded and technical manner. This is essential for building trust in environmental institutions,» she asserted.

The issue surrounding the route between Maipú and Pudahuel gains significance under the Escazú Agreement, the international treaty ratified by Chile, which aims to strengthen the rights to access environmental information, public participation, and access to justice in environmental matters.

«Communities Have the Right to Access Justice When Their Observations Are Not Addressed»

Communities that filed the claim believe that the acceptance of their appeal constitutes one of the guarantees outlined in environmental democracy, in a current climate where concerns about meeting these standards persist.

In this regard, environmental advocate Bárbara Astudillo Delgado stated that the Tribunal’s decision is a significant signal for protecting the rights of environmental participation.

«The acceptance of this claim reaffirms that communities not only have the right to participate but also have the right to access justice when they believe their observations have not been adequately addressed. This is precisely the spirit of the Escazú Agreement: to ensure that participation is effective and that there are mechanisms to review environmental decisions,» she argued.

Astudillo expressed that this process also highlights the need to enhance the quality of environmental assessments in the country.

«When we talk about particulate matter, other vectors of contamination, and insufficient responses to citizen observations, we are referring to environmental democracy. The development of infrastructure must occur with transparency, effective participation, and respect for communities, without ignoring the legitimate concerns of those who will bear the project’s impacts,» she emphasized in a press release.

She also pointed out that the Route 68/78 project represents a precedent to consider regarding compliance with participation standards that Chile has undertaken in its environmental legislation and international commitments.

Following the acceptance of the claim, the Second Environmental Tribunal will begin to review the evidence submitted by both parties to determine if the environmental assessment of the project complied with legal obligations relating to citizen participation, the proper grounding of responses to observations, and the appropriate consideration of the environmental impacts highlighted by the communities; meanwhile, construction activities for the project continue to progress.

*Featured Image: Route 68/78 Project / MOP Concessions Directorate.

La entrada Community Participation Must Have Real Impact: Citizens Challenge Environmental Approval of Maipú-Pudahuel Route se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.