After two decades of waiting, residents of Pejivalle in the canton of Jiménez now have a fully paved and marked National Route 408 over a stretch of 5.2 kilometers.
The announcement was made on September 11 by President Rodrigo Chaves Robles during his tour of Cartago province, accompanied by Minister of Public Works and Transport Efraím Zeledón and other government officials.
The project required an investment of ¢739 million, including ¢206 million for drainage systems, ¢55 million for profiling materials, ¢429 million for profiling and resurfacing, and ¢49 million for ongoing road marking. The profiling work involved removing 10 centimeters of existing asphalt that had reached the end of its useful life.
The improved section runs from the intersection with National Route 225 to Tucurrique and El Humo.
Additionally, CONAVI worked on another 6.9 kilometers between central Tucurrique in Jiménez and Plaza de Oriente along National Route 225. This segment also received new asphalt, road markings costing ¢52 million, drainage improvements worth ¢44 million, and surface renewal totaling ¢650 million. The total investment for this part was ¢746 million.
“In the case of Tucurrique, the aim is not only to provide comfort and greater safety to users but also to intervene in time on the road surface to reduce and prevent damage to the base layer, whose repair would be much more costly,” said Minister of Public Works and Transport Efraím Zeledón Leiva.
He added that “this work involved laying down eight centimeters of new asphalt mix as one of its benefits.”
In the area, MOPT also completed construction of a new bridge over the Pejivalle River through its BID Cantonal Program. The structure measures 60 meters long with a single lane for vehicles, a pedestrian sidewalk 1.2 meters wide with tactile paving compliant with Law 7600, as well as safety barriers and handrails.
The project included geometric adjustments to the existing road, approach access points, curbs and gutters, stormwater drainage works, and both horizontal and vertical traffic signage.
Investment in this new bridge amounted to $1,337,520.58. Funding came jointly from the Municipality of Jiménez and the PRVC II MOPT-BID Program under MOPT’s Division of Public Works.
