CONAVI Promises To Fix the Potholes
Without the approval of the Contraloría General de la República (Comptroller's office), the Consejo Nacional de Vialidad (Conavi) has promised to repair 770 kilometres of road in six areas that have been without a maintenance contract for the last three years.

The repairs will include filling in the potholes and paving of roadway before the rainy season commences.

Conavi says it will make the repairs on the major roadways that, in some cases, have been totally neglected, like the Braulio Carrillo and the Interamerican highways. The Costa Nera road that leads from Caldera to the southern zone along the Pacific coast is one giant pothole, as drivers have to swerve from one side of the road to the other to avoid the craters that are now common on this important roadway.

The area of importance for Conavi is the Interamerican north in the areas of Abangares.

Officials at Conavi say that the ¢3 billion colones (us$6.4 million dollars) to make the repairs is being moved from other government agencies and with the approval of the Ministerio de Hacienda (Revenue Ministry), meanwhile, any new contract needs the approval of the Contraloría.

A study by Lanamme de la UCR in 2004 on the state of the roads in Costa Rica determined that 2.700 kilometres of roadway are in poor condition. Transport Minister, Randall Quirós, has asked the experts at the UCR (Universidad de Costa Rica) to use their expertise and resources to supervise the work that willl be carried out in the coming weeks.