• Construction of the road to Caldera will start in April
MOPT (Ministry of Public Works and Transportation) assures having expropriations of properties on the main track almost ready.
They have indicated that the larger bridges will affect the construction of two more lanes
The construction of the road to Caldera will begin this coming April, five years after the inauguration of five huge bridges that will connect the capital with the Costa Rican Pacific Ocean.
The consortium “Autopistas del Sol” (Sunny Highways) will have 24 months to build the 77 kilometres (approx. 48 miles) road, which will reduce in 30 minutes the travelling to Port Caldera.
However, the “Consejo Nacional de Concesiones (CNC)” (National Concession Council) is afraid that the bridges will become a new bottle neck, since they were built having only one lane each way.
Luis Diego Vargas, Vice-Minister of Public Works Concessions, indicated that the Miguel Angel Rodriguez Administration (1998-2002) used 30-year-old plans, when the vehicular flow was less than now.
Therefore, if they decide to build the road with two more lanes each way, the narrow bridges can become a problem.
Since September of last year, the Concession Council is evaluating the possibility of a modification to the original project so that the stretch Ciudad Colon-Orotina is built having only two lanes each way.
The cost of the additional lanes would be assumed by the concessionary, who will recuperate the total cost of the highway through the administration of the toll fees for 25 years.
In case of an eventual enlargement of the bridges, Vargas could not specify if these would be built by the Government or they could be contracted with Autopistas del Sol.
He indicated that what is important right now is to start building the highway, and the situation on the bridges could be resolved along the way.
Terms. Yesterday, in a press conference, Vargas guaranteed that the construction of the first stretch Ciudad Colon-Orotina was to start during the first week of February and will be ready in 24 months.
In the mean time, the works enlarging and improving the road between Sabana and Ciudad Colon will start in March and will be finished in May 2008.
Finally, the stretch Orotina-Caldera will be repaired starting in October and ending in April of 2008.
The Ministry of Transportation guaranteed that most of the expropriations in the main track are finalized and that in the coming weeks they will take possession of the properties that are pending for the exits.
The Central American Bank of Economic Integration (BCIE) will finance the concessionaire 80% of the total cost of the construction ($160 million USD), which will be assumed by the Caja de Madrid.
Toll will not require coins
TELETOLLS
The stretch San Jose-Caldera will have four to six toll booths along its 77 kilometres. If the driver makes the whole trip, he will have to pay $3.3 (1,716 colones).
For the time being the tolls to Escazu, Ciudad Colon, Atenas and Pozón are determined at Coyolar de Orotina.
The toll booths will begin operating as the different stretches are finished. The first one will be in Pozon, which is between Orotina and Caldera.
By April of 2008, it is expected that the driver may buy an electronic device or transponder that may be adhered to the windshield. This device will have in its memory a credit or debit card number to which it will charge the fee.
Each time the car is driven by the toll booth the corresponding amount will be debited from the card. If a car without a transponder drives by the toll booth and does not pay in cash, this will be recorded by special cameras and the owner will be fined accordingly.
More: La Nacion, February 14, 2007
