The Costa Rican comptroller’s office gave the green light last week to begin to adjudicate the remaining road widening works due to take place over the next two years along the stretch between San Antonio de Belén and Santa Ana (Route 147) to the west of San José, said the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

The expansion of the bridge along that highway will begin in April, and the larger project will soon begin the design phase, all under the supervision of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

The road widening will cost an estimated US$8.54 million, and in total will last no more than 23 months to complete. The project is years overdue, and the road is highly congested with its two lanes carrying an estimated 32,000 vehicles per day.

The comptroller named the UNOPS as responsible for reviewing, adapting and approving the existing plans for the expansion of the “Radial Lindora” as the connector highway is known; as well as the body responsible for the recruitment of companies and supervision of the road construction.

Minister of Public Works and Transport Carlos Villalta Villegas said the project will expand the existing road to a 5-lane road, with two in each direction, and one turn lane in the center, and will cover approximately 1.6 km from the bridge over the Virilla River in San Antonio de Belén and the bridge over the river Corrogres approaching Santa Ana.

The new 4-lane bridge over the Virilla River at the northern end of the Santa Ana-Lindora highway will begin in April and will double the current bridge’s capacity. The new bridge will include sidewalks and shoulders, will cost an estimated US$8.8 million, and will be built with funds from a loan from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration. The new structure should be ready 13 months after the start date (approximately in May 2018).

The highway’s expansion has been on hold since 2014 due to delays in expropriating properties needed for the expansion, and then because the contract with UNOPS had not been endorsed. In January of this year, the comptroller again refused to give the contract a green light saying the National Roadways Council (Conavi) didn’t have sufficient funding for the project.

In 2013, Conavi signed a cooperation agreement with the Association of Real Estate Development Association (CODI) for a US$2 million pledge for the road expansion, said Costa Rica’s main daily La Nación.