Costa Rica: Controversy for Inauguration of New Bridge

The inauguration of a new Bailey bridge over Sixaloa river, on the border with Panama, revived the controversy over the proliferation of such structures in Costa Rica.



The temporary bridge or outer wall will be opened officially today (Friday), although it has been used for months by those who travel every day from one country to another, until it is replaced by a fixed one to be built in its place.

President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, and her Panamanian counterpart, Ricardo Martinelli will attend the opening ceremony of the metal structure 245 meters (800 foot) long, which is the replacement for the railroad bridge that for over a century linked the two countries.

The temporary solution may result in permanent, as it has happened before with such structures, and there are questions on the Costa Rican government's tendency to cling to them (Baileys) as a solution to traffic problems.