Q COSTA RICA – Kilometer 44 on the Ruta 27, the San Jose – Caldera highway, has been a major issue since the road opened 13 years ago. Now, the area is undergoing a major overhaul after previous attempts to fix it failed.
The landslide along this kilometer was discovered in 2011 by the National Laboratory of Materials and Structural Models (Lanamme), a year after the highway came into operation, and is constantly analyzed in annual reports on the state of the road.
Landslides have caused damage to the embankment and nearby hills of the highway. This has led to the asphalt layer and wiring being deformed, with cracks and settlements appearing in at least 400 meters of the route. From 2019 to 2020 the damage got worse due to the heavy rains.
Globalvia Ruta 27, the road concessionarie, says it has already removed 247,000 cubic meters of material from the mountain and the piles and foundations of the viaduct are ready.
Meanwhile, metal structure of the viaduct is being built in a workshop and construction of the retaining wall and approach fill has started. T
“The piles and foundations of the viaduct are ready, we continue with the construction of the retaining wall and the approach fill. For this month of June we are starting with the assembly of the structure on site,” said Claudio Pacheco, technical and operational director of Globalvia Ruta 27.
The project, expected to cost $15 million, was started in September 2022 after the expropriations were completed and permits obtained, should be finished by the end of the year.