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Proposed Road Network Would Make
Travelling Across Costa Rica A
Breeze
An association of engineers
specializing in road
construction is proposing that
the government develop a road
network that would make it
easier to travel across the
county and without the need to
pass through San José.
The engineers of the Asociación
de Carreteras y Caminos de Costa
Rica say that the plan could
cost some us$3.7 billion dollars
and would take 15 years to
construct.
The Asociación brings together
some 100 professionals that come
from the construction sector,
public institutions and
consulting firms. A number of
retired engineers also make up
the group.
According to the Asociación, the
current road network has a
system whereby the main roads
all lead to and from San José.
For example, travelling from
Guanacaste to the Zona Sur means
having to pass through San José.
A trip from Playa Jacó to Limón
means having to cross the centre
of San José without exception.
The new road system called "estrella"
(star) would relieve the urban
routes of traffic congestion,
which has become a serious
problem in the last couple of
years, not just in time lost
sitting in traffic, but
contamination of the environment
and health issues that
contribute to the deterioration
of the quality of life in urban
areas.
The Asociación is recommending
using a mesh system or "malla"
in Spanish, that would connect
the principal roads in the
country and by-pass the urban
centres. The major roads would
be tied together by secondary
roads, under the plan.
The Asociación says that the
plan has many advantages, one of
which would reduce the need to
build super highways. "In place
of building four and six lane
highways, in some cases all that
is required is a two lane road
with room for passing" the
proposal states.
The project aims to connect
three major arteries that would
make a trip from Peñas Blancas
to Paso Canoas (border to border
from Nicaragua to Panama) an
easy trip.
Under the plan, the
Interamericana Norte would need
to be rebuilt and the Constanera
Sur, which has been under
construction for some time,
finished. The second artery
would be the Limón to Caldera,
Caribbean coast to the Pacific
coast. Currently the route is
Caldera to/from San José and San
José to/from Limón.
The third major artery would be
to connect La Cruz in Guancaste,
near the border with Nicaragua
with Sixaola de Talamance in the
southeast, bordering with
Panama. This route would allow
easy transit by passenger and
cargo vehicles without requiring
passage through San José.
The plan would include secondary
roads that would connect San
José with San Ramón (under
construction), San José-San
Isidro-Palmar Norte and Liberia-Nicoya-Limonal.
And without saying, the plan
also includes emphasis on giving
priority to "tourist"
destinations like Guanacaste and
the Arenal.
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