Official in charge of infamous ‘La Platina’ bridge loses job

María Ramírez, who is in charge of bridges for the Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT), lost her job after failing to solve the problem of the much-maligned bridge over the Virilla River, otherwise known as “la platina.”

Officials from MOPT made the announcement at a press conference Wednesday. The ministry announced that a four-lane bridge along the same path, parallel to the current bridge, will be constructed in two years at a cost of $15 million.

Since 2009, the bridge has remained a major headache for anyone using the highway that connects San José to Alajuela, which includes Juan Santamaría International Airport.

An attempt to fix the problems once and for all at the beginning of the year cost a reported $3.8 million, caused repeated traffic jams and even resulted in a death. In February, a construction worker was killed by a driver late one night in a hit-and-run. The suspect was later arrested in the U.S.