Travel Alert: Landslides close Route 702 between Chachagua-La Fortuna for at least 3 months

A stretch of Route 702 connecting the communities of Chachagua de San Ramón and La Fortuna de San Carlos, in northern Costa Rica, will be closed for up to 12 weeks due to landslides, according to the Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT).

Heavy rains affecting Costa Rica’s Northern region in the past 72 hours caused a landslide that destroyed some 75 percent of that segment of the route.

The road is important both for local residents and tourists traveling between the capital and several tourist destinations north in Alajuela and Guanacaste.

MOPT’s Emergencies Director David Meléndez said the landslide wiped out the road down to a depth of 15 meters.

“It’s a complicated job, we’ll have to first lay a basis layer of at least 10 meters, then level the materials and proceed to fill the slope gradually in order to be able to rebuild the lane,” he said.

MOPT recommends drivers use alternate routes. The first option is taking the road between San Ramón and La Fortuna, and then the municipal road to Santa Clara at the intersection of Bajo Rodríguez, followed by Route 141 toward Muelle and La Fortuna.

The second option is to drive to the initial section of Route 702 and then take Route 738 at the intersection in San Gerardo de la Tigra. From there, drive to Jabillos and then take Route 141 to La Fortuna and Santa Clara.

MOPT crews currently are on the site evaluating the amount of work needed, but intense showers have prevented them from starting to repair the site, MOPT reported.