Juan Andrés Fontaine Talavera, the current Minister of Public Works.
The Ministry of Public Works (Spanish: Ministerio de Obras Públicas) is the cabinet-level administrative office in charge of "planning, directing, controlling and building the public infrastructure, as well as the conservation and management of them"[citation needed] within Chile. It is also responsible for the "management, distribution, use and conservation"[citation needed] of all the water resources within the country. They answer directly to the President of Chile. Since March 11, 2018, the Minister of Public Works is Mr Juan Andrés Fontaine Talavera and his Under-secretary is Mr Lucas Palacios.
The office was first created by law of June 21, 1887, under President José Manuel Balmaceda as the Ministry of Industry and Public Works. Since then it has undergone several reorganizations during its history, reflected in its different names:
Ministry of Industry and Public Works June 21, 1887 - May 20, 1910
Ministry of Industry, Public Works and Railroads May 20, 1910 - December 19, 1924
Ministry of Public Works and Roads December 19, 1924 - March 21, 1925
Ministry of Public Works, Commerce and Communication Roads March 21, 1925 - October 3, 1927
Ministry of Foment October 3, 1927 - October 21, 1942
Ministry of Public Works and Communication Roads October 21, 1942 – 1953
Ministry of Public Works 1953 - December 13, 1967
Ministry of Public Works and Transport December 13, 1967 - July 8, 1974
República de Chile (1942). "VI. Poder Ejecutivo - Nómina de Gobernantes, Presidentes y Ministros desde la Independencia.". Manual del Senado. 1810-1942(PDF) (in Spanish). Santiago de Chile: Imprenta Universitaria. (in Spanish)
Valencia Avaria, Luis (1986). Anales de la República: textos constitucionales de Chile y registro de los ciudadanos que han integrado los poderes ejecutivo y legislativo desde 1810 (in Spanish) (2ª edición ed.). Santiago de Chile: Editorial Andrés Bello. (in Spanish)
