Travel Alert: Temporary road closures on Route 32 start Wednesday

The Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) on Wednesday will begin daily road closures on a stretch of Route 32, which connects San José and the Caribbean province of Limón, to allow the demarcation of 37.5 kilometers of highway. The work is expected to continue through early June.

The closures will occur from Santa Elena de San Isidro to the intersection at Río Frío, from 9-11 a.m., and 1:30-3:30 p.m. on weekdays. Weekend closures will take place from 7-9 a.m. and 11 a.m.-1 p.m. depending on weather conditions, Alejandra Acosta, from MOPT’s Traffic Engineering department, said.

Crews also will install flexible lane dividers to discourage illegal passing.

Acosta said the work can’t be performed at night due to humid weather and the mountainous terrain where the stretch of road is located. Full road closures are necessary to allow the paint to dry and due to safety concerns for workers, she added.

Traffic Police will be on site to assist, and an alternate route through Turrialba is recommended during highway closure times.

Work on other sections of the road began on April 20. The ₡233 million ($433,000) project is funded by the Roadway Safety Council and is being carried out by the private contractor JL Señalización y Arquitectura S.A.