The president said he envisions the moratorium extending to other coastal communities on both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. While much of the attention regarding the Maritime Zone Law has focused on the inhabitants of the Caribbean coast, residents on the Pacific coast also are affected.
Public Works and Transport Minister Carlos Segnini on Thursday asked lawmakers to postpone for up to four months a final vote on a $485 million loan package from China to finance expansion of Route 32, the country’s main access to the Caribbean province of Limón.
The high fuel prices are due in part to Costa Rica's 29 percent gas tax, which goes directly to the National Roadway Council (CONAVI) for roadwork, but the tax revenue hasn't been able to improve the country's roads.
Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solís on Friday visited the isolated and impoverished border area in northern Costa Rica, the site of a troubled road project plagued by scandals and initiated by the previous administration of Laura Chinchilla.
Air traffic to and from the Guanacaste beach town of Tamarindo has been temporarily suspended due to growing safety concerns regarding the state of the runway.
