Public Works and Transport Minister Karla González last week toured the northwestern Guanacaste province to inspect roadwork under way and promise more improvements to come.
The ministry invested ¢6.8 billion ($13.1 million) in Guanacaste roads from July 2006 to July 2007, according to a statement. It was spent on repairs, maintenance and building new roads along 968 kilometers.
Residents of Guanacaste have long dealt with potholes and poorly paved or unpaved roads that stir up blinding dust in the dry season. Last year, attention was drawn to this problem in the beach towns of Nosara and Samara, where residents complained their lives and livelihoods were threatened by the poor condition of the road between their towns (TT,March 23, 2006).
On Aug. 31, González met with community leaders to discuss the “details of the design for improvement of the road between Nosara and Samara,” the statement said.
She also inaugurated a new road between Rosario and Puerto Humo and inspected other work sites, including the stretch from Carrillo to Estrada and Lajas.
The minister promised that by 2009, the capital city of Liberia will have received ¢8.7 billion ($16.8 million) for road repairs while the Cañas, Abangares and Tilarán areas will have seen ¢9.7 billion ($18.8 million) invested in roads, the statement said.
She also promised ¢5.9 billion ($11.4 million) for roads in Santa Cruz, Bagaces and Carrillo and ¢6.2 billion ($12 million) for Nicoya, Hojancha and Nandayure.