Are The Roads Bad in Costa Rica?

The first thing you notice about Costa Rica, in comparison with its neighbors in the rest of Central America, is its peaceful, orderly atmosphere, and the lack of hustle and bustle. Even in San José, traffic flows at a regular pace and there is little of the “overtake at any attitude found in other Latin American cities.

Costa Rica has 22,121 miles of paved roads which include almost 3,000 miles of highway, incorporating 405 miles of the Inter-American Highway which links San José with other provincial cities. The Pan-American Highway traverses the country from Panama to the Nicaraguan border. From San José to Panama, the Pan-American Highway passes through the old capital of Cartago.

From San José to the Nicaraguan border it continues past El Coco airport to Heredía and Alajuela. On some stretches the road is a dual highway and, as it is completely paved, travel through the country is fast and easy, with much of the highway passing through spectacular scenery.

Currently approved, is the new Escazu-Jaco Highway which will reduce the drive time to Jaco by over 50%.  Currently this is a beautiful drive through mountain roads and small little towns, but the country’s goal is to make Costa Rica a country that is easier to maneuver and get around in.

It’s my opinion that this is part of the government’s plan to open up the southern region.  The best way to open any area is to improve accessibility into that area and with a current drive time of 5 hours from San Jose to the Osa Peninsula, having that cut in half will make it a much more appealing destination.