What Is
Autopistas To
Do?
One has to
almost start
feeling sorry
for Autopistas
del Sol and has
to wonder if
someone there is
thinking "what
did we get
into?".
Autopistas del
Sol is the
consortium that
won the contract
to build and
operate, under
concession, the
San José -
Caldera or Ruta
27, its official
name.
However, from
the beginning
Autopistas ran
into problems
with opponents
that, one did
not want to see
the almost 30
year old project
completed and
second did not
want a private
company building
and operating
what would
result in a toll
road.
During the
construction
delays occurred
as accusation of
environmental
violations were
lobbed at the
concessionaire.
For weeks before
opening the
road, opponents
to the tolls at
Piedades (Cuidad
Colón)
manifested,
including
blocking the
highway and the
presidential
motorcade on its
way to official
open the highway
on January 27,
2010.
Since the
opening, rain,
mud, rock falls,
fatal accidents,
criticism on the
management of
the road and the
cost of the
tolls have all
been part of the
problems
Autopistas has
had to deal
with.
And last
Saturday, eight
days ago, the
ministerio de
Obras Públicas y
Transportes (MOPT)
closed off 11
kilometres of
the highway,
taking away from
Autopistas an
estimated ¢9
million colones
daily in toll
revenue and
millions of
dollars in costs
to change the
slopes and
improve the road
before it will
be allowed to
re-open.
And if that
wasn't enough,
now drivers are
complaining of
having to pay
tolls at the
Atenas exit.
All the tolls on
the highway,
save the ¢610
colones at
Atenas, are
being collected,
including the
Atenas exit
tolls.
Drivers say they
are being
swindled for
having to pay
the toll, a toll
that is paid on
exiting the
section of road
from San José to
Atenas or
getting on at
Atenas and
heading to San
José.
Autopistas says
it has the right
to charge the
tolls at the
on/off ramp, as
the closure of
the 11
kilometres
closure does not
affect the
operation of the
highway between
Atenas and San
José and the
on/off ramp.
So, what is
Autopistas to
do? Probably not
much, just keep
on doing what it
has being doing
all along and
keeping quiet,
while it
collects tolls.
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