The most important thing to happen to the real estate market in Costa Rica in several years seems to finally be taking place. For many years now, there has been a single stretch of the coastal highway between the towns of Quepos and Dominical on the central Pacific coast that has remained unpaved. Many a traveler and property owner have made the long and often dangerous trip over the mountains to reach the areas of Dominical and farther south. The road is often blanketed by thick fog, and it is not uncommon to encounter crazy drivers making dangerous passes on blind corners. I can remember being stuck behind a 18 wheeler that was towing a full size tour bus for what seemed to be an eternity. The drive of less than 100 miles can often take up to four hours or longer.

With the paving of the last stretch of coastal highway there will no longer be any need to traverse this dangerous and narrow stretch of highway, and drive time from the airport in San Jose will be cut in half

I know many of you have heard for years and years that this last piece will be paved, and will be hesitant to believe that it is actually going to happen. Hell, I’ll believe it when I see it. It seems however, that the master plan has indeed been approved, and I have seen the work being done in regard to rebuilding the bridges , and putting down the material to raise the elevation of the road. I am sure the actual paving will not commence for another 2 years or so, but it appears this long awaited project is materializing.

The effects of the completion of the coastal highway will be seen throughout the Southern and OSA Region from a real estate standpoint. It will in essence open the door to the south in a way that has yet to be opened. Property values will see immediate increases, and the most beautiful and untamed part of this amazing country will be opened to a new wave of investors and home buyers. Let’s just hope that the government has paid attention to the many infrastructure and density problems that have plagued areas like Tamarindo and Jaco, and places some stringent restrictions on what type of development and growth can occur. For those of us that have already bought in the south, we realize that the place we have come to know and love will soon be changing. We can only hope that the change that occurs will take place in a manner that does not adversely affect Costa Rica’s best kept secret.

Tags: costa rica transportation, highways, roads

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 19th, 2007 at 3:54 pm and is filed under Infrastructure, Transportation in Costa Rica. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.