Six More
Cases Of
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Confirmed: Total Now At 26
ICE Plans To Dismantle
RACSA
Ombudsman
Investigating Santa Ana Tolls
Costa Rica's Economy
To Shrink In 2009
Liberia Airport Concession Contract Could Be
Signed This Week
Ombudsman
Investigating Santa Ana Tolls
The Defensoría de los Habitantes
(Ombudsman's office) said it has begun a
investigation into tolls that will be
charged at the Santa Ana toll booths of the
caldera - San Jose highway, to determine if
the rates are disproportionate, as alleged
by the residents of Santa Ana.
Driving from San Jose to Puriscal on the
autopista Fernando Prospero only meant
paying the ¢75 colones tolls at
Escazu. However, the rebuilt road that now
continues onto Caldera also has a toll booth
at Piedades de Santa Ana, forcing residents
of Santa Ana and west to Cuidad Colon and
Puriscal, to use the old road or pay the
¢160 colones toll, each way.
The old road can add up to an a half hour or
more, each way, as it winds through the
hills of Santa Ana and the congestion at the
Cruce and between Santa Ana and Piedades.
Residents add that the situation will cause
even more traffic to spill onto the old
road, causing even more congestion of the
area.
The area residents have asked the Defensoría
to propose to the Ministerio de Obras
Publica y Transportes (MOPT) to provide a
reduced toll for area residents or to build
a third lane across the entire highway as
was originally announced, to justify the
high tolls that the private concessionaire
has been authorized as a way of recovering
its investment.
The residents have also asked the Defensoría
to ask the MOPT to justify the us$35 million
dollar overcost of the highway, saying that
when the work started in 2008 the cost
announced was us$230 million, which now
exceeds us$265 million.
The Defensoría has opened a case file and is
confident that MOPT officials will provide
the information necessary to analyze the
situation and provide a report as soon as
possible. |
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