Thirteen construction companies have submitted their proposals for repair and construction works in the "Circunvalación" highway, in the capital of Costa Rica.
The companies that submitted proposals to Consejo Nacional de Vialidad (Conavi) are: Ascamón y Tapusa, Sánchez Carvajal, PuentePrefa, Internego, Hernán Solís, MECO, Grupo JCB, Codocsa, Cimolai, Marlin Bridges, Edica, Crecex and Gepesa.
Most road maintenance contracts awarded by the National Roads Authority go to the company Hernán Solís.
Semanariouniversidad.ucr.cr reports that "Of the 22 maintenance contracts given by Conavi around the country, this firm were awarded 13, ie 60% of all projects. In total the company has received maintenance contracts worth over $133.4 million.
Construction companies have pointed out that National Roads Council does not have the capacity for the necessary management and are asking the government to intervene.
From a statement by the Costa Rican Chamber of Construction Industry (CCC):
• Because CONAVI does not have the capacity for management , the Government of the Republic is not completing its road infrastructure programs, critical harvest and is generating mistrust in the system itself.
The National Roads Authority of Costa Rica has awarded the company MECO the works for the design and construction of a new overpass on the ring road of the capital San José.
In total five companies participated in the open competition for a contract in the amount of $9.3 million, proceeds from the loan with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The dismal state of public infrastructure in the country is in the hands of an institution that is "incapable of solving relatively ordinary problems".
Editorial
The minister of communication in the Chinchilla administration, Francisco Chacon, admitted that the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) is an institution "unable to resolve relatively ordinary problems" with "decentralized bodies which are not accountable to the minister."
A tender will be launched in January 2013 for the design and construction of a 5 km viaduct linking Calle Blancos to Zapote.
In addition to this work, the Ministry of Public Works will also be advancing the Northern Circumnavigation project, said the Minister of Public Works and Transport, Pedro Castro.
"The viaduct will be a 4 to 5 kilometers (km) long flyover, going from the intersection of Calle Blancos (Coca Cola) to the Garantías Sociales roundabout in Zapote.
The condition of the bridges over which 80% of exports pass is disastrous and is seriously affecting the country’s productivity.
Elfinancierocr.com reports that "Years of neglect and delayed attention have affected the 1330 bridges in the national road network. This is shaking the foundations of enterprise."
An example of the severity of the problem is the list of bridges which because of their poor condition are damaging logistics for export products, raising costs of such and causing delays.
The National Roads Authority of Costa Rica has reported that it will invest $33 million during 2013 in the issue of the "border highway" that runs along the banks of the river San Juan.
The chief executive of CONAVI added that next Monday will see the start of a bidding process to select the contractor that will be responsible for project.
In May 2012 $44 million was invested in the project, which runs close to the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua and has been the center of allegations of corruption and environmental damage.
Funding for the $400 million that will cost to increase to four lanes 106 kilometers o road will be provided by the Chinese government itself, via a 20-year loan.
A press release from the Presidency of the Republic of Costa Rica reads:
Government achieves favorable financing conditions for improvements to road to Limon
Funding will be of about $400 million, with a 20-year term and an interest rate of 3.5%.
In Costa Rica, $40 million was spent building a 160km road without surveying, design of ditches, drains or crossings over rivers.
The border dispute between Costa Rica and Nicaragua over the mouth of the San Juan river was the cause of an emergency decree by the Costa Rican government, which ordered the construction of a road alongside the right side of the river for a stretch of 160 kilometers.
The consortium FCC has won the tender for the works to expand the North American Highway, in the section between Cañas and Liberia.
The Government of Costa Rica and the Spanish consortium FCC have signed a contract for the expansion of the North American Highway in the section between Cañas and Liberia, after the FCC competed with 11 other companies, reported La Prensa Libre.
Evaluation has begun for the award of a contract to build new bridges on the Interamericana Norte Highway, Costa Rica.
The project envisages construction of 18 bridges each having two lanes, on Route 1 between Cañas and Liberia.
Applicants include the companies Consorcio Guanacaste, Codocsa S.A., FCC Construcción de Centroamérica, Constructora Sánchez Carvajal, Constructora Meco and Consorcio Sogeosa-Intec, said the director of the National Roads Authority (Conavi), Carlos Acosta, who also confirmed that the evaluation stage has now started.
The works comprise the renovation of road surfaces, and construction of bridges and storm drains on major routes in the area.
From the press release by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport:
The Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT) and the National Roads Authority (CONAVI) has intensified repair works on road surfaces and bridge building on major roads in the Southern Zone, where it has invested a total of ¢13.448 million ($ 27 million) from the Road Fund.
The IADB has objected to the methodology used to award the works for the expansion of the Interamerican North highway to the Spanish consortium FCC.
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which is funding the expansion works, objected to the methodology used to analyze the reasonableness of prices, saying it violates the loan agreement approved by Congress.