Quepos Dominical Route

In December 2009 the Ministry of Work and Transportation (MOPT) began paving the last remaining section of the Costanera Sur Highway. It is a 42-km long road section between Quepos and Dominical on the Central Pacific coast.

According to a press release, the construction activities began by laying materials which will conform the basal and sub-basal layers “in addition to other structural details which will hold the asphalt layer”.

These construction labors have a total cost of $33.6 (18.900 million colones) and are divided in two sections. The first extends between Quepos and Savegre, over a length of 19.5 km and is being constructed by the Meco-Santa Fé consortium. The remainder of the route, between Savegre and Dominical, has a length of 22.6 km and is being built by the Solís-Sánchez-Carvajal construction company.

MOPT authorities assure that construction activities are happening simultaneously on both sections. The whole section will have a 30-cm thick sub-base, a 20-cm thick base and a 13-cm thick rolling surface.

Transportation Minister Karla González adds that “contractual agreements include the construction of the affiliate routes to Quepos, Matapalo and Hatillo, for a total of $1.7 milion, which will be undertaken by Meco-Santa Fé as well”. If there are no flooding episodes or delays of a similar kind, all building activities should be completed within 10 months. Minister González also expressed that “this highway is vital as a connection to the new route to Caldera, which will allow to reduce truck traffic considerably in the Central Valley.

In the Quepos-Dominical section, the phases concerning construction of sewage and draining ways, construction of transversal and longitudinal canals and general cleaning of the plant layer have been ready since past November. Lastly, filling layers were deposited which will enable the laying of the base materials and the final asphalt layers.

The Ministry added that this route will have a larger width than was first envisioned “to increase vehicle flux”. In the end, this highway will have two 3.65 meters-wide lanes and 1.80 meters-wide sidelanes, as a measure for increased security. This is the last remaining section that will complete the Costanera Sur Highway, a project hatched 46 years ago and that spans 222 km between Barranca, Puntarenas and Palmar Norte, Osa: MOPT authorities promised to finish it by February 2010.