Route 27 that connects La Sabana, San Jose with Caldera in Puntarenas (77 Km total) was inaugurated in 2010 with a cost of $336 million between the initial cost ($301 million) and additional work approved ($35 million).

This road which has presented several problems in the past, specially landslides, is presenting another problem in kilometer 44 in the stretch between Atenas and Orotina and part of the 707 road which communicates Atenas with San Pablo de Turrubares.

Experts from the University of Costa Rica’s National Laboratory of Structural Materials and Models (Lanamme) raised the alarm about this situation since 2014 and alerted the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT) and the National Concessions Council (CNC) of the severity of the situation, recently the problems were aggravated by the 6.9 earthquake that affected Costa Rica on November 12; landslides, huge cracks, and sinking of the street, the problem is evident at plane sight.

The CNC ordered GlobalVia, current concessionaire of this route, to evaluate the situation, define what is causing the problems and offer solutions; however, Globalvia has limited its actions to applying temporary solutions in the area like pouring new asphalt on the road, solution that lasts at much a few weeks before the cracks become evident again as does the sinking and this is not only not solving the root of the problem but is also affecting the service of the road, as explained by Lanamme in a note to the Minister of Public Works and Transportation, German Valverde.

Lanamme is currently carrying out studies to determine the causes of the problems, although this is the responsibility of Globalvia.

This road had daily traffic through the Escazu toll booth (the main toll booth on this road) of 116,000 vehicles. There are three other toll booths in the 77km road, a passenger car that is completing the entire route pays in total 2,220 colones in tolls, (approximately $4.00).

The explanation of the cause of the damages are yet to be heard and there are no proposals to effectively solve this problem. As time goes by there is a strong possibility that at some point in the near future the sector of kilometer 44 will worsen and the road communication between Atenas and Orotina through this route affected.