Top 10 Costa Rica

New Bridge Opening Causes Major Traffic Congestion On The Circunvalación

Without fanfare the Alajuelita overpass opened Monday morning, eliminating the rotonda for east/west traffic through the rotonda rancho Guanacaste, with the objective of reducing traffic congestion through the Hatillos.

However, in typical Costa Rican style, traffic congestion was worse than ever in the first hours of the morning and continued throughout the day.

César Quirós, director of the Policía de Tránsito, explained that the reason for the congestion was the curiosity of many drivers to see the new structure.

To ease congestion Quirós sent a group of his officers to direct traffic through the intersections west/north of the bridge in the Hatillos 4 and 6.

However, the reverse occurred in the afternoon, when traffic congestion became a nightmare for drivers east of the bridge at the Paso Ancho rotonda.

The director said that some 30 officers will be on duty the coming days to regulate traffic movement through the area.

And in typical Costa Rican fashion, though the bridge is opened, a lot of work on the intersection is still not completed, primarily on the rotonda below the bridge.

Still to complete are barriers, systems to channel water during rain and work on the on and off ramps to the bridge.

Work on the reconstruction of the rotonda began in July 2009 with a cost of ¢5.6 billion colones.

The Circunvalación – the ring road on the south side of San José that runs from La Uruca to San Pedro – is used by an average of 65.000 vehicles daily.