Route 32, the highway connecting San José to the province of Limón, was closed Wednesday after landslides blocked access in both directions. David Meléndez, director of emergency and disaster management at the Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT), said the route remained closed Thursday in order to remove approximately 6,400 square meters of material from the slopes, at kilometer 30.
Authorities hope to reopen the route by the weekend. The landslide blocks the path between San José and Guapiles, which is on the main highway between the capital and the Caribbean coast.
“The material accumulated on the highway reaches up to 8 meters high and covers 8 meters of width and about 100 meters of length of the road,” Meléndez said.
MOPT authorities recommend regular users of the road to use the alternate route from Turrialba (east of the province of Cartago) to Siquirres (west of Limón).
