Costa Rica Travel

4 Kms Does Not A 6 Lane Highway Make

After some 30 years of planning, start and stop and then start again, last week the expansion of the autopista Fernando Prospero and the highway to Caldera in Costa Rica, was officially inaugurated, although there still remains entire sections of first phase of the highway to be completed.

Many will agree that the expansion of the section between the Gimnasio Nacional (east end of the Sabana park) and Multiplaza in Escazu Costa Rica was badly needed. And that six lanes, three in each direction, would alleviate the daily congestion.

Before the beginning expansion and reconstruction of that section of the highway, transport officials hyped the frenzy about a six lane highway, which, unless we misunderstood the hype, the entire section between San Jose and Santa Ana was to have been six lanes.

Over the past 18 months, watching the progress of the construction, it was evident that this six lane highway would be a interesting one in Costa Rica.

So, lets take a short mental trip on the highway to see where are really the six lanes that were promised along the 18 kilometre section of the highway.

From the Gimnasio Nacional the Cirvunvalacion, the newly repaved highway, with nice shiny new lines, reflectors and a pedestrian overpass, is only four lanes - two in each direction. The same it was before all that money was spent to resurface a section of road that was not that bad to begin with.

On the west side of the Circunvalacion, the roadway now widens to three lanes in each direction, and continues to the Escazu intersection were the road widens to four westbound lanes, but only two are for through traffic. On the eastbound side, only two of the four lanes are also for through traffic, as two lanes are for traffic coming from Escazu Costa Rica.

Moving on, we come to the toll booths where the road now widens to 14 lanes or more, this to permit traffic in both directions to speed through 14 toll booths in each direction.

West of the toll booths, the highway becomes six lanes (once the bridge construction is complete), the only real six lane section of the highway, right up to Multiplaza, when the highway then narrows back to two lanes all the way to the Piedades de Santa Ana exit.

Thus, the only six lane section of the highway is about 4 kilometres. And in our opinion that does not a six lane highway make.

Yes, the road concessionaire has added some items like three overpasses - one at Sabana, the other two, one east and one west of Santa Ana (both still under construction) - bus bays, new signs and line painting that includes reflectors.

However, how long will they last if the past policy of no road maintenance is continued? And will the bus drivers, which are second to taxi drivers, as kings of the road, obey and make their stops at only the approved bus stops?

And then there are dozen or more access to and from the highway from local commercial centres and then the new Guachipelin intersection.

And to add insult to injury, drivers will be charged almost five times and more the old toll for basically the same highway and we suspect the same congestion, especially around the Escazu intersection, where lines weave traffic in a "go kart" type of course.

Drivers of passenger vehicles will pay ¢310 colones - in each direction - and then another ¢160, again in each direction, if continuing past Santa Ana.

The old toll on basically the same road, with the same dangers and poor design, was ¢75 colones at Escazu and only for westbound traffic.

We suspect that many will feel that the new tolls are too expensive and will opt for the only alternate route from Escazu to Santa Ana, the "calle vieja", which about the only time that it is not congested is early Sunday morning.