Puerto Viejo Gets A New Road! Southern Caribbean homeowners amazed and happy.
If you have lived more then just a few months in Puerto Viejo (or probably any where else in Costa Rica) over the past 10 years, I’ll bet you can’t count on your own two hands and feet the number of times that we have heard the good news:”the road will be fixed soon!”
Yet…. time after time, it has never happened, and the road has just kept on getting worse and worse – to the point where it has become downright embarrassing, dangerous and for some – costly!
When the residents scream enough and protest to the local municipality, we sometimes got the potholes filled with material from the nearby Sixaola River, only to watch it get washed away in the next downpour and the potholes getting bigger and deeper each time.
A few times, we have had “asphalt” patch jobs, but watching them do it is downright humorous, if not scary and of course 3 weeks later, it all comes apart!
As a local resident and owner of a vehicle, I can personally attest that our biggest expense is THE CAR….and I am not talking about the gas! With horrible roads, it is impossible to stay away from the numerous highly trustworthy and knowledgeable mechanics – on average monthly!
I could easily say that I have had to revise, update or change most parts of my suspension at least 4 times a year – every year!
A few days ago an unbelievable site appeared from the horizons: a caravan of heavy-duty road building equipment rolled in through Puerto Viejo, past Cocles, past Playa Chiquita, through Punta Uva and down to Manzanillo….”could it be?” We thought to ourselves?
The answer is mostly yes! As it turns out, they are redoing the road (in reverse order from Manzanillo towards Puerto Viejo), with the best material and thickness these roads have ever seen.
Unlike the first coat from 10 years ago which was a mix of gravel and tar, this time, we are getting a full 5 cm of hot asphalt…compressed and rolled on top of the bad road.
Upon speaking to the “engineers” on the side of the road, we are learning that they are fixing only the stretches that need it most, and supposedly they will return in “about a month” to do the rest (that part will be the pending mystery!)
We don’t know what the final product will be….but at least we already know what we are seeing: The new road is slightly narrow…and leaves very little room for bicycles or pedestrians – in fact cars will even have to slow down when oncoming traffic is approaching – but a mostly smooth ride should be expected from Puerto Viejo down to Manzanillo.
While most, including myself, are thrilled to have a new road, there is also a new fear that the tourists and our children will be less safe walking or bicycling on the road, as drivers will be tempted to drive “super fast”.
In an ideal world – we would love to see some bike lanes or trails and speed bumps along the way… perhaps this is something our local community can work towards!
Drive safely!
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Puerto Viejo Gets A New Road! Southern Caribbean homeowners amazed and happy.
Article/Property ID Number 2623
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Andrew Makarik
to@welovecostarica.comAndrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.
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