No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveChinchilla inaugurates contentious road next to Nicaragua border

Chinchilla inaugurates contentious road next to Nicaragua border

President Laura Chinchilla traveled to the Río San Juan, which forms the border with Nicaragua, Friday to inaugurate the contentious road her government constructed parallel to the river.

Chinchilla, who traveled with a cohort of ministers and members of the press, declared construction of the 160-kilometer road a national emergency last year, drawing criticism from environmentalists on both sides of the river. The new route – Route 1856 Juan Rafael Mora Porras – is named after the three-time Costa Rican president whose army stopped William Walker’s North American invasion of Central America in 1856 by capturing the Río San Juan.

“How beautiful would it be if we reach an agreement and make this a region of progress and prosperity as much on the north side of the Río San Juan as on the south side of the Río San Juan,” Chinchilla said at the inauguration of a new school built at the road’s starting point near Isla Calero – the island in the Río San Juan that Nicaragua sent troops to occupy in January 2011.

The president inaugurated two other schools along the road that will stretch from Isla Calero to the border town of Los Chiles when completed. The former schools were cramped and dilapidated buildings. Officials estimate completion will take approximately three months. Despite environmental concerns, the president said the route will bring development to the area and help some 2,500 families.

See Friday’s upcoming edition of The Tico Times for the full story.

Trending Now

What Camera Traps Miss Chasing Jaguars in Costa Rica

Five years ago, I began my journey using camera traps in wildlife monitoring projects in Costa Rica. A few years after that I began...

Melinda Hildebrand Confirmed as US Ambassador to Costa Rica

The United States Senate has approved Melinda "Mindy" Hildebrand as the new ambassador to our country, marking a fresh chapter in bilateral ties between...

US sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro

The United States announced on Friday financial sanctions against Colombian President Gustavo Petro for failing to combat drug trafficking, drawing a strong response from...

Trump Says He Will End US Aid to Colombia as Tensions Spike

United States President Donald Trump on Sunday accused his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, of tolerating drug production and announced he would end “large-scale payments...

Costa Rica Residency Backlog Hits 38,000 in October

Immigrants in Costa Rica continue to deal with long waits for their residence cards, known as DIMEX, as the immigration system struggles with backlogs....

Costa Rica Lawmakers Push Bill for Guaranteed Public Beach Access

A push to keep Costa Rica's beaches open to everyone took a step forward last week when a legislative committee approved a bill requiring...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica