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Oil Pipeline Almost Complete, In
Operation by May
Many travelling in and around
the airport noticed the
construction at one of the worst
intersection in the country
located in front of the Garden
Court and Fiesta Casino, sighed
a breath of relief believing
that the intersection was
finally getting a badly needed
realignment.
The intersection crosses fast
moving east and west bound
traffic with the entrance and
exit from the north side road
that runs parallel and traffic
exiting the Juan Santamaría (San
José) airport.
The intersection is the scene of
constant traffic congestion,
jams and a number of accidents,
a number resulting in
fatalities.
When last month the backhoes
began to dig up the dirt and the
barriers were erected, many a
driver believed that an
improvement was on the way.
However, what is really going on
at the intersection is
construction of the new
Refinadora Costarricense de
Petróleo (RECOPe) oil pipeline.
RECOPE, the state oil refinery
and distributor of gasoline
products, is putting the final
touches on the last kilometres
of its pipeline that runs 125
Kilometres (77 miles) that runs
from Limón to La Garita,
Alajuela, with pumping stations
at Siquirres, Turrialbla, and El
Alto de Ochomogo (Cartago).
The pipeline will carry regular
and super gasolines, diesel and
jet fuels, at a cost of us$79
million dollars, us$60 million
of which comes from a loan from
the Banco Centroamericano de
Integración Económica, which is
repayable in the next 12 years.
The construction work at the
airport intersection is one the
most critical for the workers as
they need to bury the pipeline
some 11 metres (36 feet) and
must be done without the closure
of the highway, which would just
be an impossibility.
"This is the greatest work of
the construction of the pipeline
as we have to work underground",
said William Ulate manager of
Comercio Internacional y
Desarrollo at RECOPE.
The pipeline in and around the
airport had a different route
initially. Ulate said that
changes had to be made so as not
to close off traffic on the
highway and to accommodate the
widening of the San José - San
Ramón portion of the major
artery, west of the airport.
Ulate said that they will
co-ordinate with the group
Autopistas del Valle, once the
begin the road construction, so
that the RECOPE pipeline will
not be touched.
The work on the pipeline is
expected to be completed by the
end of this month and be online
the first week in May.
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