Costa Rica road projects moving forward - slowly

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
July 18, 2017 Read time: 3 mins
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 acceptable condition. However the report also reveals that the Costa Rica Government is focussing on repairing roads instead of upgrading them significantly. Although Costa Rica has managed to increase the percentage of roads in good condition from 38% in 2015 to 48% at present, the country has many roads in need of major repairs according to the report. And some roads have merely been patched rather than having the major upgrades required according to the report.


Meanwhile uncertainty surrounds the start date for improvement works for a key stretch of road. The project to widen and upgrade Route 32 is being carried out by Chinese contractor China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC). The timeline originally called for the construction work to commence in September 2017 but this may be put back to mid-2018. The contractor says that the land expropriation process has still to be completed while various licences have also to be procured, plans for moving utilities have to be completed and some stretches of the route may require archeological investigations. CHEC plans to deliver the project's final design to the national road authority, Consejo Nacional de Vialidad (2538 Conavi), on 15th August 2017. The project is being financed with a loan worth US$320 million from the Chinese Eximbank. A further $100 million for the work is being provided by the Costa Rica Government.

Problems also surround plans to build a 30km stretch of road linking Sifon, in San Ramon, with La Abundancia, in San Carlos. Costa Rica’s Treasury Inspector's Office (CGR) has not given approval for a $24.6 million increase in the value of a contract with Sanchez Carvajal. In addition CGR has also turned down a request for an extension to the time required for the work. CGR says that there are no assurances that the increased budget and time for the work will ensure its completion. Meanwhile Conavi has previously voiced its concern over the work, requesting a change to the contract and assurances that sufficient financing would be in place. The work was previously expected to cost $164 million but CGR now believes that the work will cost $213 million. The project has had a troubled past as work was originally started by a Taiwanese contractor in the third quarter of 2005. But the works hit problems and activity ceased in mid-2008, with Sanchez Carvajal then taking over the contract at a later date. The stretch from Sifon to La Abundancia forms the central section of a road new connection with San Carlos but the work has been afflicted by a series of delays arising from technical, financial and environmental challenges.

Finance & Funding

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Changing policy for Europe’s road funding?
    August 27, 2013
    The 2011 EC White Paper on Transport acknowledges that transport is the backbone of Europe’s economy, directly employing 10 million people and accounting for approximately 5% of EU GDP. In addition, it recognises that ‘infrastructure shapes mobility’ and that ‘curbing mobility is not an option’. Given the importance policymakers place on the ability to move people and goods seamlessly across Europe, it becomes rather hard to explain why they have neglected for so long the main ‘vehicle’ for mobility acro
    Read More
  • Major road plans are being set for Russia’s two key cities
    May 14, 2012
    Targets are being set for road investment, construction and repairs in Russia. To meet the country’s infrastructure needs, Russia’s National Association of Builders estimates that some 1,500km of roads must be built/year. Meanwhile the highway authorities in Moscow are aiming to repair around 33% of the city’s road surface every year. Some 23.6 million m2 of road surface will be repaired in Moscow during 2012, compared with 24.7 million m2 in 2011.
    Read More
  • Successful Eurobitume conference in Istanbul
    June 26, 2012
    The Eurasphalt & Eurobitume 2012 event in Turkey has attracted record attendance figures - Mike Woof reports A strong focus on sustainability has been the focus for the 5th Eurasphalt & Eurobitume Congress held in June 2012 at Turkey’s Istanbul Lutfi Kirdar Congress Centre. The conference had as its theme: Asphalt, the sustainable road to success and attracted the highest ever number of attendees for this four yearly event. In one of the opening presentations Turkey’s transport minister, Binali Yildirim, sp
    Read More
  • Chinese highway project under construction
    February 9, 2017
    China’s infrastructure expansion programme is in the process of transforming the country. Meanwhile its construction market is the largest in the world, comprising around 25% of the country’s US$11 trillion economy. However, slowing domestic growth in recent years has encouraged the Chinese Government to invest in key infrastructure projects in a bid to improve the country’s transport connections.
    Read More

Highlighted Content