A sore point in Bolivia’s history is the loss of access to the Pacific Ocean. Prior to the War of the Pacific (1879-1883), Bolivia extended all the way to the ocean. But the war saw the coastal land fall into Chilean hands. Ever since, Bolivia has sought to regain its former lands and ocean access.
A new solution has been proposed which would give Bolivia access to the ocean once again, without requiring Chile or Peru to give up their current territories. The solution, put forward by three Chilean architects, is to construct a 150km tunnel from Bolivia to the Ocean.
The tunnel would make its way from Bolivia to the ocean, following the line of the current Chile-Peru border (known as the Line of Concord). The tunnel would then emerge at an artificial island created from the earth excavated during construction of the tunnel.
There are a number of political hurdles to be addressed. Chile have already given their consent for further investigation, but construction of the tunnel would require consent from both Chile and Peru (and of course Bolivia who have yet to respond to the proposal). Additionally, the artificial island would be located in waters currently contested between Chile and Peru.
Concordia Tunnel Between Bolivia and Pacific Ocean
