Japan funds plans for bridge over San Juan

The Japanese government donated $15 million toward plans for a bridge over the Río San Juan, a natural border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, which the Nicaraguan government expects will be built by the end of this year.

“With the completion of the design we´ll be able to construct the Santa Fe bridge in 2010, which will unite Nicaragua and Costa Rica,” Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Samuel Santos said near the end of last month.

The bridge is expected to extend 260 meters from southern Nicaragua´s San Carlos Municipality to the northern Costa Rican town of Las Tablillas.

“This bridge will open up commerce and regional tourism and will improve transportation in the area,” said Chinichi Saito, Japan´s ambassador to Nicaragua. Since 1990, Saito added, Japan has helped finance the construction of 19 bridges in Nicaragua.