The National Roadway Council (CONAVI) does not have funds available for immediate repairs to the highway connecting San José with the canton of San Ramón, in Alajuela.
CONAVI Director José Luis Salas told local Radio ADN on Wednesday that the agency does not have a budget for the roadway renovation project “because it was decided that all work [on the highway] would be contracted to a private company selected in a public bid.”
President Laura Chinchilla on Monday announced that her government had agreed to suspend a contract with the Brazilian company OAS, which had won the public bid, after several public protests in recent weeks.
For new work to be performed on the highway, the government would have to look for new funds, as all money collected from taxes and those from foreign loans are already assigned to 22 other projects, Salas said.
“The only funds we have are already allocated for repairs to the bridge over the Río Virilla [known as “La Platina Bridge”], for placing asphalt layers on the General Cañas Highway [San José-Alajuela], and for demarcation of Route 32 [San José-Limón],” he added.
Chinchilla announced her decision after groups of residents from San Ramón and outlying areas said they would be affected by contract agreements that allowed OAS to charge $8 in round-trip tolls on the 58-kilometer stretch of highway.
