Huge Costa Rica Sinkholes! Caribbean Plate Crunch!

[Robyn Appleton]

The sinkhole is reported 3.5 meters wide and 4 meters deep. Courtesy of SINART Digital.

A giant sinkhole that opened up Tuesday night in the middle of General Cañas Highway has created a snarl of traffic for drivers trying to enter and leave the capital. The highway, which connects San José to Alajuela and also the country's main airport, was closed after heavy rains produced the sinkhole. The chasm – reportedly 3.5 meters wide and 4 meters deep – is in front of the Plaza Los Arcos in Ciudad Cariari, northwest of San José, and several minutes from the Juan Santamaría International Airport. The highway closure begins at the Juan Pablo II Bridge in La Uruca, a northwestern district of the capital. Alternative routes have become congested. Long lines of cars were reported on Route 27 (San José to Santa Ana), streets near La Uruca, and on the roads that connect San José to the province of Heredia. The Public Works and Transport Ministry (MOPT) even recommended that anyone who needs to use the road on their morning commute should work from home or “take a vacation.” Traffic Police are pleading with drivers to maintain patience. Transportation officials revealed a contingency plan for dealing with the sinkhole at a 3 p.m. press conference on Wednesday. Traffic Police will work with the Public Security Ministry to implement reversible lanes on the side of the highway not affected by the sinkhole. Barriers will be placed around the obstacle, and public transportation will receive priority on the route. The lanes will be made available from 5 a.m.-9 p.m. Light vehicles also will be allowed to use the reversible lanes, but semis and other heavy vehicles are prohibited during rush hour from 4-7:30 p.m. Officials encourage travelers to use public transportation if planning to use the route. Traffic Police Director Diego Herrera said airport passengers also will be given priority on the route. Passengers need to show only a passport, ticket or luggage to gain access to the bypass. In addition, the railway that connects Heredia to San José will extend its hours while repairs continue. The first train will run at 5 a.m. and service will continue until noon. Afternoon trains will start at 3 p.m. and run until 8 p.m. José Luís Salas, director of the National Roadway Council, said construction workers will install two 24-meter Bailey bridges over the sinkhole. Salas said a crew will be working nonstop, rain or shine, to put in place the bridges. The portable metal bridges are on site, and Salas expects they'll be ready for use by the weekend. Salas said the cost of the operation is unknown. Workers have been cleaning debris from the site since early Wednesday morning.

Source; (http://www.ticotimes.net/Current-Edition/News-Briefs/Sinkhole-emerg... )

The sizable sinkhole that formed on the General Canas highway has dominated news headlines and caused much consternation for many people in Costa Rica. The affected highway is the most heavily transited in Costa Rica as it connects the populous cities of San Jose and Alajuela, not to mention the busy Juan Santamaria International Airport, travelers heading to the beaches in the Central Pacific and Guanacaste, etc.

Source http://news.co.cr/land-of-baileys-costa-rica-depends-on-british-ing...

Costa Rica hole

Source (http://www.insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2012/june/28/costarica1200... )

[Nancy Lieder]

Costa Rica holes are HUGE! This is, of course, where a fault line runs through. Panama sinking, the Caribbean Plate being bent down and under the S American Plate.