4 Kms Does Not A 6 Lane Highway Make
After some 30 years of planning, start and
stop and then start again, last week the
expansion of the autopista Fernando Prospero
and the highway to Caldera, was officially
inaugurated, although there still remains
entire sections of first phase of the
highway to be completed.
Many will agree that the expansion of the
section between the Gimnasio Nacional (east
end of the Sabana park) and Multiplaza in
Escazu was badly needed. And that six lanes,
three in each direction, would alleviate the
daily congestion.
Before the beginning expansion and
reconstruction of that section of the
highway, transport officials hyped the
frenzy about a six lane highway, which,
unless we misunderstood the hype, the entire
section between San Jose and Santa Ana was
to have been six lanes.
Over the past 18 months, watching the
progress of the construction, it was evident
that this six lane highway would be a
interesting one.
So, lets take a short mental trip on the
highway to see where are really the six
lanes that were promised along the 18
kilometre section of the highway.
From the Gimnasio Nacional the
Cirvunvalacion, the newly repaved highway,
with nice shiny new lines, reflectors and a
pedestrian overpass, is only four lanes -
two in each direction. The same it was
before all that money was spent to resurface
a section of road that was not that bad to
begin with.
On the west side of the Circunvalacion, the
roadway now widens to three lanes in each
direction, and continues to the Escazu
intersection were the road widens to four
westbound lanes, but only two are for
through traffic. On the eastbound side, only
two of the four lanes are also for through
traffic, as two lanes are for traffic coming
from Escazu.
Moving on, we come to the toll booths where
the road now widens to 14 lanes or more,
this to permit traffic in both directions to
speed through 14 toll booths in each
direction.
West of the toll booths, the highway becomes
six lanes (once the bridge construction is
complete), the only real six lane section of
the highway, right up to Multiplaza, when
the highway then narrows back to two lanes
all the way to the Piedades de Santa Ana
exit.
Thus, the only six lane section of the
highway is about 4 kilometres. And in our
opinion that does not a six lane highway
make.
Yes, the road concessionaire has added some
items like three overpasses - one at Sabana,
the other two, one east and one west of
Santa Ana (both still under construction) -
bus bays, new signs and line painting that
includes reflectors.
However, how long will they last if the past
policy of no road maintenance is continued?
And will the bus drivers, which are second
to taxi drivers, as kings of the road, obey
and make their stops at only the approved
bus stops?
And then there are dozen or more access to
and from the highway from local commercial
centres and then the new Guachipelin
intersection.
And to add insult to injury, drivers will be
charged almost five times and more the
old toll for basically the same highway and
we suspect the same congestion, especially
around the Escazu intersection, where lines
weave traffic in a "go kart" type of course.
Drivers of passenger vehicles will pay ˘310
colones - in each direction - and then
another ˘160, again in each direction, if
continuing past Santa Ana.
The old toll on basically the same road,
with the same dangers and poor design, was
˘75 colones at Escazu and only for westbound
traffic.
We suspect that many will feel that the new
tolls are too expensive and will opt for the
only alternate route from Escazu to Santa
Ana, the "calle vieja", which about the only
time that it is not congested is early
Sunday morning. |
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