QCOSTARICA – The Juan Pablo II bridge on the autopista General Cañas, in La Uruca, a short distance from the “platina” bridge, is in a lot worse condition that first thought.
While working on repairing the concrete slab, working being carried out by the MECO company, engineers of the national highway council – Consejo Nacional de Vialidad (Conavi) – noted that the approach slabs to the bridge are “badly damaged”.
Cristian Vargas, manager of bridges and road conservation, said the work required to correct the new found defects will be done in the coming two months, without giving a specific date.
Currently, work is focused on a permanent repair to the hole in the San Jose bound lanes discovered before Christmas. The temporary patch jobs over the last two weeks didn’t take.
Vargas said the work is being carried out to schedule, there have been no problems and the bridge should re-open to traffic at 5:00am Monday morning.
The Ministerio de Obras Publicas y Tansportes (MOPT) has been heavily criticized for its lackadaisical approach to the country’s road infrastructure, in particular bridges, many of which require intervention
