Autopistas Says
Problems On The
San José -
Caldera Are
"Superficial"
The
concessionaire
Autopistas del
Sol that built
and manages the
San José -
Caldera
categorizes the
rock fall and
land slides on
the highway as
"superficial" in
its report to
the ministro de
Obras Públicas y
Transportes (MOPT),
Francisco
Jiménez.
The report says
that there is no
"global
instability" or
evidence that
the highway is
unstable and of
high risk.
The report is
part of the
process of
correcting the
problems on the
highway that
have surfaced in
the past several
weeks with the
start of the
rainy season and
two earthquakes.
The report
spells out the
corrective
measures taken
to date on the
section of the
highway between
Orotina and
Atenas, the
section of the
highway with the
highest incident
of problems with
falling rocks
and mudslides.
Autopistas
opened
officially the
highway on
January 27,
2010, offering
an alternate
route from San
José to the
Pacific port of
Caldera, a route
that takes less
than an hour as
compared to the
90 minutes or
more through the
Cambronero on
the
Interamericana.
However, the
drive on many
occasions during
the past several
weeks has taken
longer as lanes
have had to be
closed,
including the
total closure of
the highway for
several hours on
one occasion, as
clean up work
was performed.
In the report
Autopistas
blames the lack
of expropriation
of adjacent
lands to allow
less steep
slopes.
The MOPT has
responded to
concerns of the
public's outcry
that the highway
is not safe and
has been
pressuring
Autopistas to
take corrective
measures or face
a total closure
of the highway.
The problems on
the highway are
heightened
during periods
of heavy rain.
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