Curridabat-Zapote
Tunnel Cheaper Than
Surface Road, Study
Reveals
The Ministerio de Obras
Públicas y Transportes (MOPT)
is studying a proposal
to built an underground
tunnel of 3 kilometres
between Curridabat and
Zapote, part of the San
José - Cartago corridor
on the east side of San
José.
Preliminary studies by
the Consejo Nacional de
Concesiones (CNC)
reveals that building
the underground pass
will be cheaper than the
cost of expropriating
the 301 properties,
demolishing them and
then building a four
lane roadway.
Guillermo Ramírez,
manager of the "proyecto
vial San José-Cartago",
said that the estimated
cost of building the
tunnel is us$45 million
dollars while the
surface option would
cost some us$7 millions
more for a totalof us$52
million dollars.
Ramírez explained that
it would take at least
two years to expropriate
the properties and then
another 18 months for
the construction, while
the tunnel can be
constructed in 18
months.
The tunnel would begin
at the west end of the
autopista Florencio del
Castillo (main highway
to Cartago from San
José) at the Hacienda
Vieja, Curridabat,
running under ground for
2.9 kilometres, ending
at the Zapote rotonda.
Ramírez said that the
CNC has not worked out
all the details, like
the depth of the tunnel
nor its layout.
The tunnel work would be
given out on concession
to a private company
that would build,
maintain and administer
it for a period of 15 to
20 years. Ramírez added
that the same company
could be given the
contract to widen the
Florencio del Castillo
from the current four to
six lanes.
Luis Diego Vargas,
viceminister in charge
of concessions,
explained that the
tunnel would relieve
traffic congestion in
the east end of the
city, like San Pedro and
Curridabat, which is in
total gridlock during
peak hours and heavily
travelled at other
times.
Vargas added that the
CNC has begun talk with
authorities of the
Instituto Costarricense
de Electricidad (ICE),
whose engineers are
experts in tunnel
building in the country.
"There is the strong
possibility that ICE may
take on the tunnel
work", said Vargas.
To the contrary, the CNC
will be forced to look
for an international
buildert with experience
in underground tunnels
and that would set back
the project and add to
its cost, said Vargas.
Vice-minister Vargas
added that he hope to
push ahead for the
project next year once
the Caldera highway (the
road between San José
and the Pacific port,
which has been in the
planning and
construction stage for
three decades) and the
widening of the San
Ramón, Alajuela, road is
started. |
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