Q COSTARICA — After three long years of inactivity and unimaginable disruption to commerce, tourism, and the residents of the area, the expansion of the 48-kilometer Barranca-Limonal section of the Ruta 1 (Interamericana Norte) will finally resume.
On Tuesday, the Comptroller General’s Office (Contraloría) approved the two contracts between the State and the Barranca Ruta 1 consortium and the company MECO.
The construction contracts have a maximum term of 24 months.
The first section of the project, 25 kilometers between Barranca and San Gerardo de Chomes, will be carried out by the Barranca Ruta 1 consortium, comprised of Bell Ingeniería and La Estrella, while MECO will be responsible for the remaining 23 kilometers between San Gerardo and Limonal. The contracts were awarded for US$121 million and US$141 million, respectively.
The work on this 48-kilometer stretch includes the construction of an additional lane in each direction, as well as the rehabilitation of the existing road to complete the expansion to four lanes throughout the project. Additionally, the first section requires the construction of seven vehicular bridges, five U-turns, three interchanges, five pedestrian bridges, and 24 wildlife crossings. The second section includes four vehicular bridges, four U-turns, three interchanges, five pedestrian bridges, and 21 wildlife crossings.
In 2022, the project was abandoned following a disagreement between the government and the construction consortium, as progress was impossible due to expropriation issues and a lack of completed designs.