No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsBusinessCosta Rican exporters report Route 32 closure cost them an extra $800,000 

Costa Rican exporters report Route 32 closure cost them an extra $800,000 

Officials from the Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) on Friday morning approved the reopening of the Braulio Carrillo Highway, or Route 32 between San José and the Caribbean province of Limón after landslides had closed it for nearly 80 hours. At 5 p.m., two new landslides again closed the road.

Approximately 70 percent of Costa Rican exports leave the country through Caribbean docks, and according to estimates by the Costa Rican Chamber of Exporters (CADEXCO), the four-day road closure cost exporters a total of $800,000.

The figure includes mainly fuel costs, as trucks were forced to use alternate routes. Most traveled to Limón via the old Turrialba route in the province of Cartago, east of San José.

CADEXCO Executive Director Luis Vargas Bolívar on Friday evening said that according to a survey conducted among its members, the highway closure on average cost each local exporter additional expenses of up to 30 percent.

Vargas said some 3,500 container trucks had been stranded since Monday at the docks in the Caribbean port cities of Limón and Moín. He also said the export sector is concerned about bad weather the previous week that also affected the docking of several cargo boats.

Chamber leaders and MOPT officials have been meeting in the past weeks to assess the situation, but they have not reached an agreement on a possible solution, Vargas said.

Passage of vehicles on Route 32 on Saturday morning remained closed, a situation that happens repeatedly during Costa Rica’s rainy season from May to November.

Trending Now

Venezuelan Migrants Describe Torture After Deportation to El Salvador

“You’re going to rot in here. You’ll spend 300 years in prison.” That’s what Maikel Olivera says guards repeatedly told him during his four-month...

Low Dollar Exchange Rate Threatens Costa Rican Industry

Ten of Costa Rica’s leading business chambers have sent a joint letter to the Central Bank calling for an immediate adjustment to the country's...

Why I Choose Real Life in Costa Rica Over the AI Hype

When it comes to AI, call me OG. Old school. I sometimes wish I could go back to a time before it existed. Artificial...

Costa Rica Celebrates 201st Annexation Anniversary With New Nicoya Park

Nearly 200 people joined the Municipality of Nicoya this Sunday to inaugurate a new park at the Annexation Monument, an initiative that blends recreation,...

Costa Rica Faces Economic Blow as Intel, Pfizer, and Qorvo Announce Restructuring

Intel announced that it will shut down its chip assembly and test plant in Costa Rica, part of a broader global restructuring aimed at...

Costa Rica Tops Latin America in Attracting Foreign Millionaires

Costa Rica is a country that attracts millionaires. Projections indicate that by the end of 2025, a total of 350 foreign millionaires will have...
L. Arias
L. Arias
Reporter | The Tico Times |
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica