San José-Cartago Highway Concession Bid Being Readied
A 30-year, us$86 million dollar concession for a highway between San José and Cartago is due to be awarded in the first quarter of 2008, national concessions council CNC project director Guillermo Ramírez said.

The Consejo Nacional de Concesiones  (CNC) -  Costa Rica's national concessions council - is currently preparing the bidding documents for the concession, which it expects to have ready in the next three months. After this, offers will be received in another three to four months, and the concession will be awarded after that, said Ramírez.

Works will include the improvement and expansion of the existing 19km highway connecting San José and Cartago from four to six lanes, which will take around one year to carry out, added Ramírez.

The construction of an additional 3km for the highway will take around two years to complete, said the project director.

The highway will connect with a route leading down to Costa Rica's southern border with Panama, the project director added.

The company selected will be in responsible to obtain its own finance for the project, and will be able to recover investment costs through charging tolls, said Ramírez.