The extension of a section of the North Interamerican Highway between Cañas and Limonal is supposed to be done by next September but the estimate from the Executing Unit of the project has slipped to January 2021 because the project has only advanced 5% in nine months, 37% of the total time planned for the project.
An audit report from the Technical Engineering Area of the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation shows that the reasons for the delay remain the same, problems with expropriations and the transfer of services.
It was initially found that 165 properties would have to be acquired. The State has possession of 64, four are advancing in the courts, and the rest are suspended. Because of this, a new design is being considered to reduce the number of necessary expropriations.
Delays in acquiring the land creates other delays such as in cutting trees, building wildlife passages and relocating services. The contractor was asked to present a contingency plan this month to resolve delays.
