QCOSTARICA — As everyone already knows, or should know by now, the Puente la Amistad, or Tempisque bridge over the Rio Tempisque, will be closed for 3 months starting April 1.
The bridge will be undergoing repair and maintenance work that is so urgently needed.
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Until its reopening on July 24, there are two options for travel to and from San Jose: one, the land route to Liberia, and two, the Playa Naranjo Ferry service between the city of Puntarenas and Playa Naranjo.
Another option to consider instead of taking the Playa Naranjo Ferry is the Paquera Ferry, which departs and arrives at the same Puntarenas port. However, this alternative will require additional travel time but offers more frequent ferry crossings and a different schedule that may better accommodate your travel plans.
I have typically used the bridge route for visits to and from Nicoya and the Nicoya Peninsula beaches such as Samara, Nosara, Guiones, Montezuma, and Santa Teresa, among others, as well as destinations such as Tamarindo and Flamingo. Taking the ferry doesn’t reduce the time spent traveling, but it does offer a pleasant break during a lengthy drive.
For the land route to Liberia alternative, the section of the Ruta 1 or Interamericana Norte is four lanes from Limonal (the turn-off to the bridge) to Liberia. Four lanes of concrete pavement make it possible to travel at speeds exceeding the posted limits, but it is important to maintain a safe speed due to both the presence of active traffic police radar spots and the potential hazards of a poorly designed so-called highway.
Traveling to and from Liberia via Route 21, passing through Guanacaste Airport, can be slow at certain points.
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The beautiful images of the bridge are from Drone Pilot 506 and posted on Facebook.
A little history of the Puente La Amistad
Puente La Amistad de Taiwán (“Taiwan Friendship Bridge”) spans the Tempisque River, on National Route 18, in Guanacaste, northern Costa Rica. Although generally known as a cable-stayed bridge, it is really a hybrid bridge composed of a cable-stayed span and a pillar-supported bridge.
The cable-stayed section has two spans of 170 and 90 metres, supported by an 80-metre-high pylon. The total length of the bridge is 780 metres with eight supporting pillars and the pylon. The bridge was completed in 2003.
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The bridge was financed and designed by Taiwan and built primarily by the Taiwanese company MAA, with the participation of Costa Rican engineers and workers. It has a particular importance for the province of Guanacaste for it facilitates transit from the Greater Metropolitan area of San José. Prior to the construction of the bridge, this route required the use of ferries to cross the Tempisque River, (an interesting experience is one way of describing that adventure) or long alternate land routes.
The bridge has been known colloquially as Puente de la Apuñalada (Backstab Bridge) since former Costa Rican President Óscar Arias cut off relations with Taiwan in favor of China.
Puente La Amistad was damaged on September 5, 2012, by an earthquake.
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