Two-thirds of Costa Rica’s 4,500 kilometers of roads are in bad or “regular” shape, according to a study presented yesterday by the University of Costa Rica (UCR) in the eastern suburb of San Pedro.

The study, carried out by the university’s nonprofit National Laboratory of Structural Materials and Models (Lanamme), found that during the past two years, road infrastructure has not shown any improvement; on the contrary, 2.5% of the country’s roads have deteriorated so much they are now unusable.

Engineer German Valverde explained at a press conference that 32.7% of the nation’s roads, spanning 1,474 kilometers, are full of potholes, making them difficult to traverse.

Another 32.6% are in “regular” condition,” while only 32.1% are in “good” shape, meaning they can be driven on comfortably. Meanwhile, 114 kilometers, or 2.5% of the country’s roads, are so damaged they could not be studied.

Lanamme also evaluated the structure of highways that support trucks carrying heavy loads. It found that 33.9% were in bad shape, 51.8% were in regular shape and 11.6% were in good shape.

Vice-Minister of Public Works and Transport Pedro Castro said the government is aware of the severity of the country’s road woes, and has doubled the budget for road maintenance and reconstruction from $70 million to $140 million for 2007.

According to Castro, $70-$80 million of these funds will go toward road maintenance, while the rest will pay for highway repairs.

-ACAN-EFE