41 Months To
Build, Rather to Re-Build,
1.3 Kilometre
Road?
How long does it
take to build,
rather,
re-build, a 1.3
kilometer road
in Costa Rica?
41 months, it
appears, as the
time it took the
Ministerio de
Obra Pública y
Transportes (MOPT)
from the
awarding of the
bid to the
delivery of the
project last
week.
The road is the
MAG-Universal,
the road that
runs on the
south side of
the autopista
Prospero
Fernandez and
railway tracks,
on the south
side of the
Sabana park,
from Universal
(diagonal to
McDonalds) on
the east to the
MAG on the west.
This section of
road, one of the
most travelled
in San José is
only 1.3
kilometres from
end to end and
the re-building
saw the road go
from 2 lanes to
four lanes.
The process
began in
December 2006
when the
contract was
awarded to the
Holcim-Santa Fé
group. But, it
wasn't until
December 2008
when the work
actually began.
During those 24
months, delay
after delay,
that included
the
"complicated"
relocation of
public services
like power and
telephone lines
and water and
sewers, kept
setting back the
project.
Then there was
the problem with
the trees
running along
the north side
of the road,
forcing a
complete
redesign of the
project that
included
narrower lanes
so that some
half of the
trees would not
be touched. The
lanes went from
the normal 3.75
metres wide to
3.35 metres.
And near the
end, the work
was delayed
another 30 days,
waiting on the
installation of
"intelligent"
traffic lights.
Finally, 41
months later,
the road was
opened last
week, though
work on
completing the
road continues.
Francisco
Jiménez, the
current minister
of the MOPT,
said that the
work would have
been finished
much sooner if
all the public
utilities would
have co-operated
and brough their
part of the work
on time.
Although Jiménez,
who took over
the portfolio
ahead of his May
8 appointment
and was not
involved in the
original process
of the project,
he is taking the
heat delays in
the project, not
only from users
but by business
owners located
along the road
that claim a
loss of business
during.
for his part,
Andrés Alfaro,
general manager
of the Fitsimons,
said the gym
lost at least
300 members all
due to the
construction and
access.
Last month, the
owner of a night
club (strip
join) located on
the road and a
group of dancers
(strippers) and
wait staff set
up shop in the
middle of the
finished road to
protest the
delays and force
the opening of
the road.
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