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Where it all begins!
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INSIDECOSTARICA
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Wednesday 29 September 2010 |
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Presidenta
Orders
Investigation
Into The
San José
-
Caldera
Highway
Irregularities
The San
José -
Caldera
highway
continues
to
generate
controversy
surrounding
its
early
opening
and high
risk.
Questions
being
asked
are, why
was the
road
opened
when it
is
clearly
unfinished
and who
ordered
the
opening.
Presidenta
Laura
Chinchilla,
following
her
return
from New
York
over the
weekend,
has
entered
the
ring,
demanding
answers.
The
Presidenta
has
issued
an order
to the
Ministerio
de Obras
Públicas
y
Transportes
(MOPT)
to
investigate
if there
were any
irregularities
by those
in
charge
of
approving
the
opening
of the
highway
from San
José to
Caldera.
Chinchilla
has
asked
the MOPT
and the
Consejo
Nacional
de
Concesiones
(CNC) to
set
penalties
in the
event
there
irregularities
are
found.
Although
it was
the MOPT
that
issued
the
opening
of the
highway
in
January
of this
year,
seven
months
ahead of
schedule,
it was
not the
current
administration
to give
the
approval,
though
several
key
figures,
like
Marco
Vargas,
who was
then
minister
of the
MOPT who
replaced
Karla
Gonzalez,
is now
ministro
de la
Presidencia
in the
Chinchilla
administration.
For his
part,
former
president
Oscar
Arias,
who cut
the
ribbon
on
January
27, is
out of
the
country
to
comment
and his
brother,
Rodrigo
Arias,
who was
at his
brother's
side
that day
and
ministro
de la
Presidencia,
refused
comment.
The
Presidenta
is also
questioning
the
tolls
being
charged
on a
road
that in
her
words,
"is
incomplete".
Backing
up the
government
in
search
for
answers
is
Laboratorio
Nacional
de
Materiales
y
Modelos
Estructurales
de la
UCR (Lanamme)
which
will be
working
closely
with the
government
to
ensure
that the
concession
contract
between
the
government
and
Autopistas
del Sol,
is
complied
with.
Another
major
issue by
the
Presidenta
is the
construction
of
overpasses,
an item
that was
included
in the
concession
contract,
but lost
in the
shuffle.
The
appointment
of the
Lanamme
is a
logical
choice
since
they
have
been
closely
monitoring
the
situation
since
April
and
whose
report
identifying
at least
14 "high
risk"
points
was the
basis
for the
temporary
closure
of the
highway
in June.
Closely
monitoring
and
being
strong
vocally
is the
Colegio
Federado
de
Ingenieros
y de
Arquitectos
de Costa
Rica who
raised
the
concerns
before
the
highway
was
opened
and
predicted
most of
the
current
problems
being
experienced.
During
this
time,
Autopistas
has been
quiet
while
working
on the
problems
of
correcting
the
issues
raised.
As to
the
question
of the
tolls,
Christian
Sandoval,
director
of
Autopistas,
said
that the
"established"
tolls
are
necessary
for the
company
to
recuperate
its
investment.
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Costa Rica's Daily English News
Source
Apdo. 2133-1000, San José, Costa
Rica
Tel: (506) 2231 3205 / (506) 8399
9642
Fax: (506) 2232 6337
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