QBLOGS – They are potholes or in Costa Rica, we call them “huecos” and they are a national shame resulting in undeserved accidents, deaths, and car damage.
It is a shame that communities even my neighbors and I need to patch these things before a bike, motorcycle or even a car hits one and either loses control or the driver grits his/her teeth to the “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” of even the best of cars.
Why do we have to repair or make passable these holes in the road, some the size of a six person Jacuzzi? If the roadway is asphalt it automatically poses a danger and most certainly damage to the vehicle. It is the way our experts at MOPT, lay and tamp the material, not to mention the type of asphalt employed which is the least expensive and applied by hand.That is if a government work crew can find the time to fill in the hueco between coffee breaks, lunch and just an “I don’t care” attitude because “I don’t have a car.”
The general rule of thumb is for a crew of only God knows who sets up shop to manually, not to be confused with rollers, drop “cold” asphalt which most as any engineer will tell you has no long-lasting effect.
Translated that means “Good until the 1st tropical rain.”
Much like vigilantes, neighborhoods have filled these death traps with rocks, cement, wood and anything else to make the passage drivable.
Imagine the tourist coming to Paradise and trying to navigate the holes on the road. We all know that when you see, on an asphalt service, a puddle of water and it is not raining…watch out for the giant hueco.
A number of kilometers (Miles) on an engine are not so important as the condition of the suspension, brakes, and tires. Drivers in Paradise go through sets of each almost twice per year or they do not drive very much.
Every Sunday I shun the bike riders on the highways…but there are only a few huecos to hit on their expensive, thin wheels. I am too harsh on them because on Route 27 it is announced such mischief as bike riding is flat-out prohibited. Although few are given citations except in the infamous case of one of our national hero, cyclist Andrey Amador.
