In August 2020, after heavy rains weakened the bases of the bridge over the Río Coronado, Repretel reported that the crossing would stay closed while CONAVI installed Bailey bridges. The work was expected to take up to three weeks.
Six years later, traffic on the Costanera Sur at Coronado de Osa still crosses a modular span. Twice since then, a truck hitting it has been enough to stop traffic on Route 34. MOPT-CONAVI's 2026 project is the first real attempt to end that arrangement. Through the construction period, though, Coronado remains a crossing in transition.
How a three-week fix became the road
The fix went in quickly. On September 3, 2020, CRHoy reported that the first temporary bridge was about to open. The same report said a second provisional structure still had to be placed before the crossing could carry two lanes. According to CRHoy's later coverage, the structure was a 60-meter Acrow bridge, installed after the permanent crossing suffered severe damage in the mid-August rains. Part of its purpose was keeping freight from the Zona Sur moving toward the rest of the country.
A month later, on October 16, 2020, a truck struck the new span. The repairs needed a planned 48-hour closure. CRHoy reported on October 29 that crews started at 5:00 a.m. and reopened the bridge shortly after 11:00 a.m., because fewer damaged pieces had to come out than expected.
The 2023 strike closed the road for far longer.
The day the detour reached Ojochal
In May 2023, an empty tractor-trailer heading from Palmar Norte toward Dominical lost control as it entered the Bailey bridge in Coronado de Osa and hit the side of the structure. No one was hurt. Diario Extra reported that the Policía de Tránsito closed Route 34 completely until CONAVI engineers could assess whether the bridge could reopen. The paper also said a plate had come loose from the structure.
The same Diario Extra report described what the closure meant locally. Students, workers and travelers bound for the southern border would need alternate routes adding at least two hours to reach Ojochal, Chácara and Punta Mala. Reaching Tres Ríos de Coronado or El Vergel de Osa meant driving dirt and gravel roads that become dangerous in the rain. Traffic police expected the closure to last at least eight days.
That is the case for replacing this bridge. A tourism guide places Coronado near Ojochal, and on this stretch of the Costanera, one damaged span cuts Ojochal off from the south. A permanent two-lane bridge with sidewalks would not make collisions impossible. It would remove the modular structure that has been the weak point since 2020.
What MOPT says it is building
The project was announced in March 2026, and the official description has changed with each notice since. The figures below are kept with the date each one was published.
| MOPT notice | Bridge length | Stated cost | Schedule detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 12, 2026 | 60 meters | $2.5 million, estimated | Construction expected to start in May; 240-day construction term |
| June 26, 2026 | 53 meters | $4,630,887.60 | Work to start Monday, June 29 |
| September 14, 2026 | Not restated | $4.8 million total | 15% complete |
| September 30, 2026 | Not stated | $2.5 million, described as a "structural repair" | Part of a nine-project Route 34 package |
The bridge-specific notices agree on the main points. The new structure will replace the existing one. Per the June notice, it will carry one lane in each direction, with sidewalks on both sides, and is expected to benefit more than 44,000 people. Financing comes from the Banco Centroamericano de Integración Económica through PROERI, the government's emergency program for resilient infrastructure reconstruction. The September 30 package is the outlier. Its $2.5 million "structural repair" matches the March estimate rather than the later bridge-specific figures, and MOPT has not published anything reconciling the two descriptions.
In the March announcement, Vice Minister of Infrastructure Pablo Camacho described what the ministry expects the bridge to do:
"Esta obra cambiará la vida de las personas y permitirá garantizar seguridad vial, peatonal y restablecerá el tránsito a dos carriles, mejorando significativamente la movilidad y los tiempos de traslado en esta ruta estratégica para la Zona Sur del país."
In English, he said the work would change people's lives, ensure road and pedestrian safety, restore two-lane traffic, and significantly improve mobility and travel times on a strategic route for the southern zone.
One more temporary crossing comes first
To keep the Costanera open while the old structure comes down, the project needs one more temporary crossing. The March notice said the first step would be a provisional detour built by relocating the existing modular bridge, so that traffic could keep moving for the whole project. The June notice described it as a modular structure placed parallel to the current bridge. It also said the opening weeks would cover clearing the site, shaping the provisional crossing and relocating public utilities.
On September 14, MOPT said it expected to open the provisional crossing on Wednesday, September 16. That opening was described as the step required before demolishing the existing bridge and moving on to the new structure. As of October 12, here is what has and has not been published:
- Confirmed by MOPT: construction started in late June, and the project was 15% complete on September 14.
- Planned, not yet confirmed: the September 16 opening of the provisional crossing and the demolition that was to follow. MOPT's news listing runs through October 2 with no later Coronado update.
- Not published in any source reviewed: the contractor's name, a revised completion date, or operating rules for the provisional crossing, including lane control, hours or vehicle limits.
For live conditions at the river, the most reliable sources are MOPT and CONAVI's own channels, not a date from a September press release.
Reading the calendar
The only construction duration MOPT has published is the 240-day term from the March notice, which was written when work was expected to start in May. Counting 240 days from the June 29 start lands around late February 2027. That is simple arithmetic, not a commitment MOPT has repeated, and the later notices do not restate the term. The project had reached 15% by mid-September, about eleven weeks after work began. That progress came before the provisional crossing was due to open and before demolition of the old bridge.
The Coronado work is also part of a wider program. MOPT's September 30 package puts $34,943,127 into nine Route 34 projects in Garabito, Parrita, Quepos and Osa. Closer to Ojochal, it includes repairs to two structures over the Río Savegre, budgeted at $1.4 million. MOPT describes the Costanera Sur as one of the main routes between the Greater Metropolitan Area and the Zona Sur, and as the road to Dominical, Uvita, Bahía Ballena and the Osa Peninsula. For Ojochal, the Coronado bridge is the part of that program that matters most. When the new bridge opens, the modular span installed in September 2020 will be gone.
Road access shapes how a property in Ojochal works in daily life, from service calls to guest arrivals. At Christie's International Real Estate South Pacific Costa Rica, our team follows corridor projects like the Coronado bridge so owners and buyers can plan around them. Inquire Now if you'd like a briefing on how the Costanera works affect a specific property.
