Repairs to sewers will close roads in downtown San José

Motorists and pedestrians prepare: Traffic jams in downtown San José could get worse starting next week. The Water and Sewers Institute (AyA) will close roads to repair and replace some of the city’s sewers.

The institute announced that the project will require the total closure of five sections of the capital’s main avenues and streets. Closures will begin Monday and will extend for 20 weeks, according to a detailed schedule (see below).

The agency noted that in order to reduce problems for commuters, crews will close and repair sewers on one stretch of road at a time, in periods ranging between two and six weeks each.

AyA’s statement says the agency “guarantees a noticeable improvement in wastewater collection in the city and reduced problems with clogged sewers.”

Ahead of rainy season

Problems with the city’s sewers in recent years have been a headache for commuters, and even more so for business owners. Sewers and rivers that overflowed during heavy downpours have caused problems all over the city throughout the rainy season, which runs May-November.

During the past three years, flooding has carried away vehicles, damaged merchandise in stores and forced many businesses to close for several hours, some even for days.

Problems prompted business owners in the capital to file a complaint last year before the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, or Sala IV, against AyA, the San José Municipality, and the Health Ministry. The high court justices ruled in favor of the business owners and ordered agencies “to fully clean the city’s entire sewer system and conduct all necessary actions to prevent flooding during the rainy season.”

City workers duly began cleaning and removing debris to prevent swollen rivers from causing floods this year, and now AyA will begin works on the sewers.

This the schedule of road closures for the upcoming months: