La Nación is reporting today many more details of the proposed expansion of Route 32 between San José and Limon.

The project is now being estimated to cost between $350 million and $420 million dollars. It is being financed by a credit line from the Chinese government and would be built by Chinese firms.

The 108km project starts from the Rio Frio crossing on Highway 32 to Limon. It will include 4 four lanes of traffic in a separated roadway, 14 overpasses, bus bays, pedestrian overpasses and a bike lane to protect the many students and workers who commute by bicycle along the route. The plan also includes repairs to the 32 km connection from Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui (the other Puerto Viejo) to route 32.

The route carries about 5,000 cars a day including 700 commercial trucks.

The project is still in the planning stages so no timeline has been announced.

More information: La Nación: País negocia crédito blando con China para ampliar vía a Limón

Caribbean residents are well aware of the faults of the route given the frequent mudslides which close the route and the resulting delays or hours long detours.

The newspaper states that the funds will primarily come from long term loan from the Chinese government with additional funds coming from the Banco Centroamericano de Integración Económica (Central American Bank for Economic Integration). However the figures quoted by the newspaper don’t make a lot of sense as they give figures in colones and in dollars that are completely different, at one point quoting ¢420,000,000 (which is just $840,000 USD more or less) and at another point quoting $210,000,000 USD. One hopes the latter figure is the correct one as the first one doesn’t seem adequate to accomplish much.

The work will take some three years to complete and is said to include expanding the road to four lanes between Rio Frio and Limon.

More: El Diario Extra: China Prestaría ¢420 Millones Para Arreglar Ruta a Limón

A number of tourists have contacted local travel company Gecko Trail Adventures about dishonest or unsafe behaviour at the Caribbean bus terminal in San José or onboard the MEPE buses to San Jose.  We at the Talamanca News are concerned about the safety of the tourists visiting us and so we ask that customers report problems and keep in mind the following safety tips.

One of the problems is very aggressive pirate taxi drivers who harass customers coming off the bus offering them an onward ride to their hotel or their airport. Sometimes they even grab their luggage and try and take it directly to their vehicles. This usually ends up with the customer being horribly overcharged and at the mercy of the pirate taxi driver. We remind everyone that they should never get into an unmarked cab, either at the Caribbean Bus Terminal, the airport or anywhere else unless they have prebooked  the ride with a reputable agency or hotel desk and the driver is waiting there with their name displayed.  If they have not prebooked a ride, then they should only use the marked red taxis and make sure they use their meter.  All licensed taxis in San Jose are red with appropriate taxi markings and must have an operating taxi meter and must use it. If the meter is not turned on you may ask them to “ponga la maría por favor”.

There have also been reports of customers looking for their prebooked / prepaid driver and the pirate taxi drivers pretending to be their driver. Any prebooked transport should have the name of the person they are picking up. Again, they should have a sign or at least a receipt with your name on it.

There have also been reports that in some instances the MEPE company or some of the drivers of the MEPE buses are not acting in a honest, safe and responsible manner.  The kinds of incidents we’ve heard reported include:

• Some tourists have reported the driver just disappearing on arrival in San Jose and leaving a free-for-all with the luggage. This obviously does not feel very secure especially when pirate taxis and touts are circling. The driver of your bus is also responsible for unloading luggage from the bus and making sure people get their items so this is not acceptable.

• Drivers using their phone during the ride to either make calls or send text messages

• Selling tickets to clients to stand the whole ride and then charging the full fare

• Charging extra for your luggage when you want to put it in the luggage hold below the bus. This is illegal as by law you’re allowed up to 2 pieces luggage included in your ticket cost.

For the most part we find buses in Costa Rica to be easy to use, professional and very affordable. These complaints have been forwarded to the various agencies and action is being taken to resolve them. If you’ve seen any of these behaviors or others you can share your experiences in the comments here or on the Puerto Viejo facebook page discussion board. Adding specific information such as the date and schedule of the bus and bus numbers or photos of the incident or people involved would be particularly helpful.

The initiative is part of the “Limón Ciudad Puerto” project which aims to revitalize the province.

A number of agencies and companies have come together to make this happen include the airline Sansa, the National Tourism Institute (ICT), the tourism chambers of Limon and of the South Caribbean, local governments and the Limon airport.

There are expected to be at least 4 flights per week with fares ranging between ¢30,000 ($60.00 US) and ¢75,000 ($150.00 US).

Sansa operates from the domestic terminal at the main international airport in San Jose so with a good connection from a morning flight, a visitor could easily be in Puerto Viejo or Cahuita by lunchtime.

As soon as schedules are posted, the Talamanca News will update you here.

More: La Nación: Turismo podrá volar a Limón a partir de julio

A slide on Sunday once again closed route 32 between Limon and Guapiles.

The slide had closed the road at km 22. The debris field from the slide was 6 meters high and 50 meters wide and took several days to clear with the work being slowed down by the rain.

Route 32 is the main route between San Jose and the Caribbean Coast. When it is closed, travelers need to take route 10 via Turrialba. That route however is slow and windy and adds at least an hour to the trip.

Travelers should call 800-TRANSITO, option #1, option #4 (in Spanish) for the latest road information.

Transport officials are also recommending the people do not drive route 32 at night, especially when it is raining.

Conavi has advised that Highway 32, which is the most direct route between San Jose and Limon, will be closed today through Sunday from 9am to 3pm daily for maintenance.

Buses and cars will therefore need to take the longer route via Turrialba.

This information is subject to change so drivers are advised to call the road update hotline at 800-TRANSITO, option #1, option #4 (in Spanish only and from within Costa Rica only).

Heavy rains have caused a landslide on route 32 which is the main highway connecting San José with Limon and the road remains closed. The slide happened at km 31, 10 km east of the Zurquí tunnel on Saturday at 3:30pm.

Witnesses at first thought they thought a car may have trapped in the slide. But searchers from the fire department and red cross have not found any sign that anyone was trapped.

Until the slide is cleared, motorists and buses will have to take route 10 via Turrialba.  However that route is very narrow and very windy so extra time and caution is required. It typically adds at least 1 1/2 hours to the bus journey to the Caribbean.

Transportation officials from the MOPT said they are hoping to have an estimate on the reopening soon but that continued rain and fog is hampering the effort of clearing the slide.

More: La Nación: Derrumbe impide paso hacia Guápiles

The goal is to find a definitive solution to the landslides that have plagued the stretch.

The firm Stereocarto is involved as well as specialists from a number of government agencies. Officials suggest that those who must travel to the Caribbean use the alternate
route through Turrialba.

Current schedules can be found on www.geckotrail.com/shuttle.htm where you can also make a reservation for any of the shuttle companies.

More information on getting to Bocas either by shuttle or independently can always be found on the Puerto Viejo Transportation page.

The governor of the northern Panamanian province of Bocas del Toro, Bonifacio Abrego, said Sunday that he had decided against declaring a curfew for the city of Changuinola. Abrego said that calm had returned to the city after three days of violent confrontation between striking banana workers and police. The province of Bocas del Toro borders Costa Rica on the Caribbean coast.

Meanwhile, the Panamanian president, Ricardo Martinelli, vowed that he would uphold the controversial Law 30, which was the cause of the strike.

On Saturday, the Panamanian government ordered the reopening of the Changuinola airport, and police confirmed that the highway that connects the city to the rest of the country had been cleared. The road had been blocked for three days by strikers.

“The problems in Changuinola have been the product of misinformation and a series of lies,”  Martinelli said in a press statement issued Sunday. “The intransigence of a group of trade unionists can not end with the banana industry in Changuinola.”

The conflict emerged when the Bocas Fruit Company withheld the portion of workers’ salaries that normally goes toward paying union fees. The company subtracted the union membership fee in response to a recently enacted law that makes such fees optional.

“The government regrets the misunderstanding on the part of this company,” the Martinelli administration said in a press statement. “It is not in the power of this business, nor any other, to retain workers’ salaries because it constitutes a violation of workers’ rights.”

Under the law, the employees must decide whether to pay membership fees and the decision cannot be made for them by their employers.

The protest ended Sunday, when the government signed an agreement with the striking workers. According to the document posted on the Panamanian government website, the original law will not be changed, yet, the government committed to providing more resources to help workers confront the high cost of living.

While roads and the border are open again, shuttle companies such as Caribe Shuttle are holding off on resuming service for a few days while they monitor the situation and make sure the route is safe to travel.

Sources: Caribe Shuttle, Tico Times.