Q COSTARICA — After three loooong years of inactivity and unimaginable disruption to commerce, tourism, and the residents of the area, the expansion of the 49-kilometer Barranca-Limonal section finally resumed on Wednesday.
The expectation is that the four-lane expansion will be completed by the end of 2027.
The construction contracts have a maximum term of 24 months and also include the rehabilitation of the sections of the Interamericana or Ruta 1, as well as bridges, interchanges, and pedestrian overpasses, among other works.
The first section of the project, spanning 25 kilometers between Barranca and San Gerardo de Chomes, will be carried out by the Ruta Uno consortium, comprising Bell Ingeniería and La Estrella. Meanwhile, MECO will be responsible for the second section, which is the remaining 23 kilometers between San Gerardo and Limonal.
The contracts were awarded for US$121 million and US$141 million, respectively.
The project was abandoned in 2022 by the Chaves administration after a disagreement between the government and the construction consortium, as progress was stalled due to expropriation issues and a lack of designs.
The expansion would reduce travel time between Barranca and Limonal by one hour, making the 210 kilometers drive time from San Jose to Liberia that currently between 3.5 and 5 hours, depending on the best time to travel, to about 2.5 hours.
The first section requires the construction of 7 vehicular bridges, 5 U-turns, 3 interchanges, 5 pedestrian bridges, and 24 wildlife crossings. The second section includes 4 vehicular bridges, 4 U-turns, 3 interchanges, 5 pedestrian bridges, and 21 wildlife crossings.
President Rodrigo Chaves acknowledged that the delay in this project resulted in a cost increase of US$112 million.
“We were years behind schedule. We tried to save the people that money and time, and yet, in the Legislative Assembly, they judge me and even accuse me, and you know what? I would do it all again, because we acted with integrity for the people; let them keep talking nonsense,” said President Rodrigo Chaves in announcing the resumption of the road project at the weekly press conference on Wednesday.
At the press conference, Chaves repeatedly blamed the company H Solís for abandoning this expansion project, but failed to mention that Estrella was also involved in the initial attempt and is now participating again.
Estrella was part of the failed contract along with H Solís, and received US$14 million from the Ministerio de Obras Publicas y Transportes (MOPT) after the termination of the previous contract.
“The amounts paid to the contractor corresponded solely to properly executed works, prefabricated materials and structural elements, duly justified and substantiated administrative costs, and value engineering,” explained MOPT Minister Efraím Zeledón.