Ferry service between Puntarenas and Playa Naranjo will resume by Holy Week, MOPT promises

The ferry service between Puntarenas and Playa Naranjo, in the Nicoya Peninsula, will resume just on time for vacationers heading to North Pacific beaches during the Easter Holy Week break, the Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) confirmed Monday.

Strong winds and a choppy sea destroyed the bridge and dock ramp to access the ferry in Playa Naranjo on March 8, forcing ferry owner Coonatramar to suspend the service.

MOPT’s Marine and Ports director Luis Fernando Coronado said in statement that construction had begun on a temporary dock, and it was expected to be ready within two weeks.

Early on Monday, work crews began transporting materials to Playa Naranjo for the repair, estimated to cost ₡67 million (some $124,000).

Later this week work also will begin on a brand new dock next to the current one. The project was awarded in a public bid to private construction company Nautica JJ S.A.

The new dock will cost ₡300 million ($556,000) “and will be fully operational in two and a half months, if weather conditions are favorable,” MOPT’s statement added.

The temporary dock will be removed once the new one is ready, Coronado said.

Alternate routes to get from Puntarenas to Playa Naranjo include taking the Puntarenas-Paquera ferry and then traveling by road to Playa Naranjo. The trip on a gravel road takes up to two hours.

Traveling by road from the capital takes around six hours.