San
José - Caldera Highway Almost Ready, Take
Our Virtual Tour
The day is soon approaching when you can
travel from San José to points like Playa
Jacó, Caldera or Puntarenas in under one
hour by way of the new San José - Caldera
highway that is nearing construction.
The new highway, that is missing completion
between Santa Ana and Orotina, will shave
off at least 45 minutes travel to all points
on the Pacific coast.
A trip to Liberia that now takes 3.5 hours
on best days will be just a little over 2.5
hours, meaning you reach the beaches of
Coco, Hermosa for instance in less than
three hours. Tamarindo and Flamingo will
also be less than three hours away.
Quepos and Manuel Antonio will be less than
2 hours.
The reason for the current extended drive
time is the winding of the mountains from
the Central Valley, either over the Monte de
Aguacate, a steep climb and drop of the more
gentler pass on the Interameircana.
Either way, the drive is slow, slowed even
more by large trucks and loaded buses and
few passing lanes.
The new highway cuts through all that. The
slopes and hills are gentle, the winding is
to a minimum.
Inside Costa Rica took a rare look at the
new highway on Christmas day when several of
the guards manning the points of entry only
for workers on the highway, let us pass.
It took only 13 minutes to driver from
Piedades de Santa Ana to 8 kilometres east
of Orotina (the guard at that check point
did not allow passage), driving at an
average 60 kilometres per hour.
The road is completely asphalted, what is
missing is the final touches of completing
the road markings, some of the barriers and
of course, the toll stations.
For the most part the highway is a two lane
road, one lane for each direction. However,
near the intersections of Piedades (though
the signage reads Cuidad Colón), La Guacima,
La Garita, Turrucares and Atenas, the road
opens up to four lanes and illuminated.
The road delivers what will surely be a very
pleasant experience driving to and from the
Pacific beaches and other destinations.
And since it is a toll road, like the San
José - Santa Ana section, it will be lightly
travelled, as the cost from Escazú (the
first toll) to west of Orotina (the last
toll) is ¢1.120 each way.
On Friday, December 25, 2009, 10:30am,
Inside Costa Rica, with camera in hand
filmed the new road from Piedades to West of
Atenas (the only portion of the unopened
highway we were allowed to travel).
Click here to go on a virtual ride of the
new highway. Part 1.
Note, video is 30Mb (large) and may
take some time to download on slow
connections
Click here to enlarge map.
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