The Route 27 sinkhole that has disrupted traffic for more than a month is now part of a broader accountability fight over one of Costa Rica’s most important highways.
Globalvía, the company that operates the San José-Caldera highway, faces nearly $100 million in pending fine processes for alleged contract violations accumulated over several years, according to Public Works and Transport Minister Efraím Zeledón. The cases remain before the Consejo Nacional de Concesiones, or CNC, the government body that oversees public infrastructure concessions.
Zeledón said some of those possible fines may now be at risk of expiring because previous administrations allegedly failed to move the cases forward. He described the backlog as part of a long-running failure to enforce the Route 27 concession contract, saying the government found fine cases dating back to 2017 that had not been properly advanced.
The minister’s comments shift the Route 27 story beyond the physical collapse at kilometer 56 in Orotina. What began as a sinkhole and traffic problem is now a test of whether Costa Rica can enforce the contract behind a toll road used daily by commuters, freight operators, tourists, and drivers heading between the Central Valley and the Pacific.
The older fine processes cover alleged failures tied to road maintenance, road safety, slope work, closures, and other contract obligations. In April 2025, MOPT said the CNC had begun proceedings for about ₡33 billion in possible fines against the Route 27 concessionaire, tied to recommendations that were not collected between 2018 and 2023. That official statement said an internal CNC audit found failures in the handling of fine procedures under the concession contract.
According to MOPT, those possible violations included lack of adequate road maintenance, landslide material, stabilization work, potholes, pavement sinking, lighting problems, and other issues. The ministry said at the time that 592 fine recommendations had accumulated during that period.
The new case centers on the sinkhole that opened at kilometer 56 near Coyolar, Orotina, after a culvert collapse in late May. The incident forced a full closure of Route 27 at first and later left the highway operating under regulated passage, with heavy vehicles restricted.
Zeledón has said the km 56 case could trigger a separate penalty of up to $50,000 for each day the highway was closed, if the process confirms that the sanction applies under the contract. The minister said the case still requires due process, including a review of whether the collapse could be considered force majeure, which would exclude it from punishment.
That distinction matters. The fines are not automatic, and the government has not announced a final sanction over the sinkhole. The daily amount is the maximum figure cited under the contract, and MOPT must still determine whether Globalvía bears responsibility.
The concessionaire has been working to restore normal passage at the damaged section before the mid-year vacation period, when traffic to Pacific beach destinations typically rises. The original expectation of a two-week repair was not met, and as of late June the incident had reached the one-month mark.
The highway’s importance is hard to overstate. Route 27 runs 76.8 kilometers between San José and Caldera, linking the capital with one of the Pacific’s main ports and serving as a key corridor for tourism, industry, freight, and weekend travel. Globalvía says it is responsible for the design, planning, financing, construction, renovation, extension, repairs, maintenance, and operation of the route.
For drivers, the immediate concern remains traffic flow through Orotina. For the government, the larger question is whether Costa Rica can catch up on years of unresolved enforcement before some cases prescribe.
Zeledón has said MOPT will push ahead with the cases that can still be charged and apply any fines that legally correspond in the new sinkhole case. Until those processes are resolved, however, the nearly $100 million figure remains a measure of possible penalties, not money already collected.
