Tollbooth hours extended on two major highways

Beginning Wednesday, the tollbooths on the Florencio del Castillo Highway, between San José and Cartago to the east, will charge users 24/7, and the General Cañas Highway connecting San José with Alajuela to the northwest will collect 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

National Roadway Council (CONAVI) officials explained that the changes are being made to improve collection at these two points, after traffic flow studies determined the feasibility of resuming collection during certain hours.

Prior to the change, General Cañas Highway tolls were waived going from San José to Alajuela between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Now, free passage will be only between 7 and 9 a.m. and between 4 and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Saturday collection will be suspended from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tolls will remain in effect 24 hours on Sundays.

On the Florencio del Castillo Highway, toll collection used to be waived between 4 and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, due to the increased number of vehicles returning to Cartago during rush hour. However, studies done by CONAVI revealed that opening the tollbooths would not cause significant bottlenecks.