What most considered to be an inevitable result of the new highway is confirmed by a recent article in El Financiero.  Property values along the new highway from San Jose to Caldera are rising dramatically, as well as are permits for new construction.  Here are a few figures quoted in the article.  Prices of fincas (large parcels) of between six and seven hectares (or around 16 acres) have increased from around $8 per square meter to $18 per square meter AND that is on the low end.  For smaller parcels the prices are as high as $33 and over per square meter.  This is for land basically in the middle of nowhere, but near small towns like Orotina and Atenas.  In fact it is predicted that in two years Orotina will be hardly recognizable as the small pueblo one always passed through on the way to Jaco.  Construction permits are booming as well, rising in Orotina from 2,190 square meters last year to 7,574 in the first few months of 2010.  Most of the permits are for urban and residential development, although there is an increase in industrial and commercial permits as well.  In some areas, such as El Coyol and San Rafael, appreciation is 75% over prices in these areas just three years ago.  Of course, the anticipated rise had already brought in quite a bit of speculative buying and now those buyers want to be sellers.  This can give rise to some poorly informed buyers getting ripped off at these elevated prices as much of this land, while near the highway, is still far from other basic services.  Also, ingress and egress to the highway can be challenging in these remote areas as many planned exits have not materialized as of yet.  There is also the fear of development ensuing similar to what occurred in Guanacaste, where there were many developmental regulations ignored in pursuit of progress, which now has given rise to environmental and other problems.

Click for Article in El Financiero

Well now that I have utilized the new and greatly anticipated “carretera Caldera” that extends from Escazu to Esparza (where it connects with the Pan American Highway), I do have an opinion on the matter.  I have heard the criticisms about the fact that the road is only two lanes in some areas, that there has been some environmental damage and that residents in communities along the highway have been negatively affected in various ways.  But I guess with a project this big, there is always going to be some controversy, i.e., someone’s ox will get gored.  I am sure that some of the criticism is valid and deserved.  However, on the whole, my opinion is that this highway is the best thing that has happened in this country for a long time, at least as long as I have been here, even better than passage of the T.L.C., whose anticipated positive effects may take as long to be realized as the highway did to construct.  In short, the new highway cuts drive time by about an hour to points along the entire Pacific Coast.  I made a trip to Monteverde using the new highway to get from San Jose to Esparza and then the Pan American to the point where you exit to go up the mountain in a little over TWO HOURS!  That is nothing short of amazing.  Moreover, I used far less gas than I would have before and the trip was far less stressful, both to my car and to my nervous system.  This highway is a godsend for people who want to travel within Costa Rica and that includes just about everyone.  I anticipate it will be good for foreign investment and real estate values (I read recently that Atenas is already gearing up for it) and it will be good for tourism.  One of the most oft-heard complaints from tourists is the difficulty in getting from Point A to Point B in Costa Rica.  Well, this new highway, while not perfect, is a major stride towards fixing that issue.  The times I have used it, which have been both during the week and on the weekend, my average speed was around 80 kph, or more, versus the less than 50 average one would experience crossing the mountains either via San Ramon or the dreaded (though picturesque) Monte de Aguacate route.  The new highway should also relieve some of the congestion from those old routes as the many trailers will opt to take the new highway..and they were the principal source of the problem on those more mountainous routes.  I was highly skeptical of all the talk over the last decade of how great this new highway would be, primarily for Jaco.  However, now I am convinced and the benefits will extend far greater than Jaco, which as of late has gone from being Costa Rica’s most popular beach town to Cost Rica’s biggest eyesore.  My hats off to the Arias administration for getting the job done.  Thirty-two years was a long time in the making, but better late than never.  Okay Laura, let’s see some more of that over the next four years!  But start with a pocket full of ”monedas” for the many tolls on the road (5 in all) and gas up, because you won’t see any gas stations along this route, probably for a while.

Minister of Transportation, Karla González, is sticking to her guns and swears that the Costanera Sur will be completed by December of this year.  The contractors actually have until the first trimester of 2010 under the contract, but González is vowing to complete the project well ahead of schedule.  Well, saying that it could be well ahead of schedule is a little bit silly when you consider that the idea for the Costanera was born back in 1962.  Years of delays related to corruption, incompetence and bad weather have stalled completion of this important project for almost half a century.  But hats off to the Arias administration who it looks like will be able to boast its completion once and for all.  Once inaugurated it will no longer be necessary to traverse the dangerous and sometimes deadly, yet stunningly beautiful, Cerro de la Muerte.  The trip down the Costanera Sur will cut about two hours of driving time to traverse the 222 kilometers from Barranca de Puntarenas to Palmar Sur of the Osa.  The main parts yet to be completed include the 42 kilometer stretch from Quepos to Dominical, as well as several bridges.  One of the main bridges that is very near final completion is that of Parrita, which contractors say will be done in 15 days!  Once completed you will be able to make the trip to the Southern Pacific in about 5 hours. It will be even faster when the new highway from San Jose to Caldera is completed, which will connect with the Costanera Sur.  For the future González expressed in an interview with La Nación that she would like to see the Costanera Sur traverse the complete distance from Nicaragua to Panama.

Link to Article in La Nación