Ciudad Colón’s tollbooth to open this Saturday

The concessionary company Autopistas del Sol will begin collecting tolls at Ciudad Colón, southwest of San José, beginning this Saturday at midnight.

National Concessions Council (CNC) Secretary Edwin Rodríguez made the announcement after an Administrative Appeals Court ruled “there were no adequate justification that the charge is excessive.”

Tolls on the Caldera Highway, which runs from San José to the Pacific coast, have been closed since last October, after mayors of Mora, Santa Ana and Puriscal filed a lawsuit against Autopistas del Sol and the CNC.

Residents of the three cantons were concerned with the lack of alternate routes to allow them to avoid the toll charge.

Now all users will have to pay rates from ₡150 ($0.29) for motorcycles and standard-sized vehicles to ₡930 ($1.82) for large trucks.

Users may also use an electronic toll QuickPass.

Sources say legal appeals and public protests may follow in coming days.