Platina Bridge
Congestion
Continues As
CONAVI Seeks
Solution
Although
westbound
traffic
continues to
back up every
day on the
autopista
General Cañas at
the Virilla or "platina"
bridge, the
solution to the
problems still
is far from
being resolved,
as the process
is stuck in
legal
procedures,
while drivers
slowly move
through the
area.
The 10 cm (4
inch) gap across
the bridge is
the problem to
all the
congestion.
See our photo
journal report
for more
pictures.
Click here.
The situation
has so far
gotten out of
hand that many
afternoons like
last afternoon
(Thursday)
traffic is
backed up to the
Circunvalacion,
as all three
lanes of traffic
merge to two and
the slow down to
cross the
bridge.
Travelling the 2
kilometres
between the
Circunvalacion
and the Virilla
takes on average
20 minutes, more
than the time it
takes from the
bridge to the
airport, some 12
kilometres away.
So what is the
problem?
CONAVI is
pressing
Concessiones to
make the repairs
which failed to
provide results
on two separate
occasions last
year.
However, the
legal
complications
are making the
situation almost
impossible for
Concessiones and
CONAVI to make
the repairs.
The long term
plan for the
bridge is to
build an
adjacent four
lane bridge,
according to the
explanation by
the viceministro
de Obras Pública,
Pedro Castro.
However, if that
cannot be
resolved the
CONAVI will have
to make the
repairs itself,
finding the
funds for the
work, which will
mean more
traffic
congestion and
delays, as it
will require a
complete
extended
shutdown of the
the westbound
traffic on the
bridge.
The problem of
economics is
further
compounded that
the construction
of the adjacent
bridge is
estimated at
us$12 million
dollars, while
the repairs to
the existing
bridge is only
us$4 million.
And although
MOPT authorities
assured that the
work on the
bridge is a high
priority item,
needed to
maintain the
structural
integrity of the
bridge and
safety issues,
there is no
date, or even
speculation,
when the work
would start.
Only one this is
for certain, the
problem is no
longer that of
the current
administration
with only a
little more than
two weeks to go,
but that of the
next, which may
go back to the
drawing board
with its own
ideas and
thoughts on how
to handle the "platina"
bridge and
further delay
the delays.
In the meantime,
drivers with
really no other
viable alternate
route (through
Heredia or Santa
Ana, both
congested routes
at peak hours)
will have to
patiently wait
out the
decisions of
authorities
while sitting in
traffic every
day.
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