Toll stations at four of the main highways connecting San José with other provinces will stop collecting tolls at noon on Thursday and will resume at 6 a.m. on Saturday, the National Roadway Council (CONAVI) confirmed.
The decision seeks to ease traffic flows of vacationers taking advantage of time off for Holy Week.
Government-run tolls administered by CONAVI will stop collecting at toll stations on the General Cañas, Bernardo Soto, and the Interamericana Norte highways on Route 1; the Florencio del Castillo highway (Route 2) that connects the capital with the province of Cartago; and the Braulio Carrillo highway, or Route 32, which connects San José with the Caribbean province of Limón.
On Wednesday morning, the Traffic Police reported an increase in vehicles and traffic jams at several stretches along all main routes to coastal provinces.
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Road surveillance
The Traffic Police launched a special operation last weekend to regulate traffic along these and other highways, including Route 27, one of the main roads connecting San José with the Pacific province of Puntarenas.
A total of 743 officers are conducting surveillance operations at checkpoints along the roads to the most popular tourist destinations, including 122 speed checkpoints and 20 alcohol control points across the country.
Traffic Police Director Mario Calderón said in a news release that alcohol consumption has always being a problem during Holy Week, as many reckless motorists drive under the influence.
“It’s worse now that only a few municipalities are enforcing a dry law, and even worse in coastal areas,” he said.
Calderón also said that the operation does not mean that police will reduce surveillance in the metropolitan area.
“Many people stay in the Central Valley. Some attend processions, go to the malls, or go on one-day trips at nearby sites, and we’ll be there too,” he said.
He noted that there were not any deaths in traffic accidents in the metropolitan area during last year’s Holy Week.
