Casco Viejo $35 million infrastructure project set to start

Residents and merchants in Casco Veijo  will get the bad news about the effects of the upcoming area infrastructure project on their lives and livelihoods some time in the coming week.

During the week,  assessments will be made see how the work on, roads, underground cables and sewers in the San Felipe district will impact on  staff, residents and businesses  for the duration of the works expected to take 16 months.

Between Tuesday January 24 and Wednesday January 25, the Heritage Office of Casco in conjunction with the Ministry of Public Works ,and the Odebrecht company will  notify all residents and traders of the logistical strategy that has been mounted around the project, including the halting of  vehicular traffic in an area with a high  tourist attraction. 

Liz Castillo, spokeswoman for the department  said after a meeting with residents and merchants, there will be outreach throughout the project.. Among the actions to be implemented is a staggered hours system for  government employees  in the area

“Officials will not be able to enter with their vehicles, to reduce some of the impact of  road closures," said Castillo. Part of  the logistics study  is to establish where they will park, and how busses  will move at work start and finish times.

Other measures  are the distribution of stickers to residents and businesses, so they can identify access roads, know where to park, and what actions will be in place to allow for vehicular traffic.

 "Vehicles will not be able to park anywhere, because we want to keep the area as clear as possible , so that every person required to enter or leave will not suffer the usual crush of vehicles of officials within the Old Town," she said.The preservation project in the Old Town, at a cost of $35 million, will last 16 months. The Ministry of Public Works stated that the works in question  will not directy residents and businesses in the area.