"Platina"
Bridge May Have
To Wait To End
Of Year For
Repairs
The ministerio
de Obras
Públicas y
Transportes (MOPT)
hinted on Friday
that repairs to
infamous "platina"
on the Virilla
bridge of the
autopista
General Cañas,
many not be
until the end of
the year.
The platina, as
it is called, is
the missing
steel plate
missing that has
left a 10 cm (4
inch) gap
between the
spans of the
brdige on the
San José -
Alajuela
direction of the
autopista.
The Virilla
bridge gap as it
was the day
following the
last repair
attempt last
August. Today,
although the
concrete residue
is gone, the gap
remains and is a
source of daily
congestion on
Costa Rica's
busiest highway.
Go to out
Photo Journal
for photos.
Attempts last
year to repair
the platina
failed. On two
separate
weekends the
westbound lanes
of the autopista
at the bridge
were closed off
to traffic,
causing
tremendous
congestion, as
detours took two
hours or more
for the 15
minute ride from
La Sabana to the
airport.
The bridge
continues today
to be a major
congestion
maker.
Traffic on the
westbound lanes
during weekdays
backs up to the
immigration
service, taking
almost 20
minutes trough
the area. On
Friday
(yesterday),
traffic was
backed up to the
Circuvalación
and close to the
San José Palacio
hotel, more than
two kilometres.
The failure of
the Arias
government to
make the repairs
has left many
scratching their
head and now it
appears that
much more of the
same can be
expected by the
Chinchilla
administration.
The General
Cañas is Costa
Rica's busiest
highway and the
major route into
and from San
José on the west
side.
Traffic from San
José to Heredia,
Alajuela, the
international
airport and
points west and
north all have
to go through
the General
Cañas.
Alternate routes
like the Heredia
- Alajuela
connection or
the Santa Ana -
Belén have, one
lane in each
direction, are
all collapsed
under the heavy
traffic.
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