Photo courtesy MOPT
Starting today traffic on the nations highways and bi-ways is expected to over-saturate an already overburdened road system, as thousands leave the urban jungles of the Central Valley and head for the green jungles, rainforests, beaches and resorts around the country.
Wednesday, will be the real test for the 628 Tránsitos (traffic officials) that have been assigned to keep the roads safe during Semana Santa, given that Thursday and Friday are legal holidays, followed by days off on Saturday and Sunday, for an extra long weekend. Traffic back into the Central Valley starts to build up on Saturday.
The director of the Policía de Tránsito, Germán Marín, assures that his police force will be working around the clock, with increased patrols on the major routes like the Ruta 27 (San José – Caldera), Ruta 32 (San José – Limón), the Interamericana (north and south) and the Costanera.
This year the additional challenge for the traffic police is keeping drunk drivers off the road, this being the first year in decades where prohibition will not applied in many areas.
Last year Semana Santa saw nine deaths from traffic accidents. Maríns says his goal this year is for zero.
