Part of Costa Rica's new Taras-La Lima road ready to be opened

Construction of the Taras-La Lima road in Cártago province, Costa Rica, is now partially completed and a section of the highway will be opened on Friday, according to local media. 

The contractor H. Solís, responsible for the works in consortium with Ingeniería Estrella, stated that the 1km, six-lane Taras overpass will be finished on November 8, Summa magazine reported. 

“This inauguration is of the utmost importance for Costa Rica, because it will alleviate congestion and improve commuting time for users while the rest of the works for this megaproject advance,” H. Solís spokesperson Daniel Calderón was cited as saying in the report.

Two more sections will be finished and inaugurated before the project is fully completed, which is expected to take place a year from now. 

One of the sections will include the elevated pass in the La Lima area, which is expected to be ready next March, and another section includes La Lima underpass, which will be ready by July.

The road, which is being funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and on which construction started in 2020, was designed to be able to handle 50,000 vehicles a day and will reduce heavy traffic in this part of central part of Costa Rica, southeast of capital San José.

The initial capex was estimated at US$58.9mn but the updated amount is close to US$70mn, according to news outlet CRHoy.