Skip to main content

Costa Rica's growing road problem

Costa Rica's road network requires further investments to prevent it from worsening. According to data from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) some US$200 million/month is required to tackle the issue.
February 10, 2012 Read time: 1 min
Costa Rica's road network requires further investments to prevent it from worsening. According to data from the 2536 Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) some US$200 million/month is required to tackle the issue. This sum is equivalent to 79% of the National Roads Council's (2538 Conavi) annual budget for 2011, which stands at nearly $256 million. The MOPT has acknowledged that such investments would improve the country's competitive edge. At present, the Conavi only spends some $110 million in repairing roads/year. MOPT says that at present a mere 1.5% of the country's gross domestic product (GPD) is spent on transport, although the MOPT hopes this figure will increase to 2.5% until 2035.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Costa Rica highway concession package cancelled
    March 19, 2014
    The Costa Rican Government is paying compensation worth US$28.4 million for the cancellation of a highway concession package. The compensation relates to the San José-San Ramón highway concession and is being paid to the Brazilian construction company OAS, reports Business News Americas. This follows a legal dispute over the project and is some $10 million less than OAS originally claimed in compensation. The 30 year concession package was cancelled last year due to opposition. There were allegations of a c
  • Costa Rica road projects moving forward - slowly
    July 18, 2017
    Costa Rica is moving ahead with a series of major road projects, but progress is proving slower than anticipated or desired. The Costa Rica Government is struggling to achieve satisfactory progress with its overall road improvement programme. So far the key focus has been on maintaining existing links rather than building and improving road connections. The country’s National Laboratory for Structural Material and Models (Lanamme) has produced a report revealing that 85% of the national roads are in accepta
  • Costa Rica road repairs required
    October 25, 2018
    More road repairs are required in Costa Rica to improve the national network. A new report from Costa Rica’s Treasury Inspector's Office (CGR) criticises the country’s national road authority, Consejo Nacional de Vialidad (Conavi), for carrying out inadequate road maintenance and conservation works. According to CGR, road maintenance works carried out by Conavi scored just 64%. On a more positive note, the report said that around 77% of Costa Rica’s roads are 'in good functional and structural' condition.
  • Costa Rica highway project on track
    December 10, 2014
    Construction of the Interamericana Norte highway in Costa Rica is said to be proceeding on track. Work is being carried out on the 50km Canas-Liberia section of the project. The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) says that studies for the Canas-Limonal stretch of the new highway have been completed. The studies will then have to be submitted before the country's road authority Conavi to commence the tender process. A contract is expected to be granted by the middle of 2015. Funding could be provi