Several Costa Rican roads have been getting face-lifts in recent months both inside and outside of San José. The bulk of the work is concentrated in main arteries of the capital, including Avenida 2, Paseo Colón and Avenida 10.
San José’s Paseo Colón was the first of recent projects to get under way. During the month of December, the four-kilometer, two-way street received a ₡1.2 billion ($2.4 million) makeover that included the use of upgraded materials, such as high-resistance fiberglass to prevent cracking.
Work on Avenida 2 began in early January at San Juan de Dios Hospital and will continue east to Curridabat, east of San José. The projected cost for this stretch of road is ₡2.4 billion ($4.8 million).
Also in early January, the Public Works and Transport Ministry announced a plan to overhaul many of San José’s radial feeder roads to outlying areas. Workers are replacing the roads’ surfaces as well as filling cracks, at a cost of ₡4.2 billion ($8.4 million).
“Improving segments of the Bernardo Soto and General Cañas highways, Paseo Colón and Avenida 2 are important parts of a general road-improvement plan,” said Public Works and Transport Minister Francisco Jiménez.
The first radial road under construction starts in Alajuelita, south of San José, and stretches 3.4 kilometers into the capital’s center.
According to the National Roadway Council (CONAVI), after the Alajuelita radial road is finished, work is scheduled on routes to San Sebastián, Paso Ancho, Zapote, Desamparados, Guadalupe, Sabanilla, Tibás and San Francisco de Dos Ríos.
To minimize traffic delays, work takes place at night, generally from 8 p.m-5 a.m.
“We are hoping to do most of the work during the dry season, which also reduces the cost. In the case of the radial routes, we hope to finish nine roads before the rainy season starts,” said CONAVI Executive Director Carlos Acosta.
San José’s Avenida 10 will also be overhauled. Starting this week – after a one-month delay – the San José Municipality will begin removing asphalt and replacing it with concrete. The project will cost the city ₡450 million ($900,000), and the new surface is expected to last 10 months. Similar work has already been finished on Avenida 3 and Avenida 8.
Work on Avenida 10 will take place during day and evening hours. To help minimize traffic delays, workers will close 200-meter sections of the street.
Two main highways have also been under repair. The General Cañas Highway, which leads out of the capital to the west and north, was repaired from La Sabana in western San José to the Juan Santamaría International Airport in Alajuela. Most of the work was completed by the end of 2011 at a cost of ₡4.5 billion ($9 million).
Upgrades on the Bernardo Soto Highway in December included a widening of the road at a cost of ₡5.7 billion ($11 million).
