Caldera Highway to Remain Closed Until Thursday

Authorities hope to reopen the Caldera Highway on Thursday, after a mudslide closed the route between the Pacific and Central Valley last week.

The Transportation Ministry is currently installing two provisional bridges at Kilometer 47 in order to reopen the 10-month-old route, which has become crucial to the country’s commercial sector.

Although the highway is currently operated by Autopistas del Sol, a private company, government authorities say the repairs would have taken 45 to 90 days had they waited for the Spanish company to step in.

Once the highway is operational, Autopistas del Sol has agreed to temporarily refrain from collecting the standard toll in Atenas.  

The rest of Costa Rica’s highway system has returned to normal, with the exception of Route 301, a mountainous gravel road between Acosta and Parrita, which remains closed.