A new segment of Costa Rica’s National Primary Route 39, between the Hatillo 5 and Hatillo 6 districts in San José, opened to traffic, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT) announced.

The newly opened roadway runs alongside an active construction zone for a new overpass designed to elevate one roadway over another.

The project aims to eliminate cross traffic and reduce congestion at one of the capital region’s busiest intersections.

Traffic officers have been deployed along the corridor to keep vehicles moving while construction continues. Officials said the entire project is expected to be completed by June 2026.

Route 39, also known as Circunvalación, was first launched in 1978. However, the most significant progress on the ring road occurred during the administration of former President Carlos Andrés Alvarado Quesada, who served as Costa Rica’s 48th president from 2018 to 2022.

The 9.2-mile ring highway encircles the central cantons of San José and is currently open to traffic. More than 60,000 vehicles are estimated to use the route daily, providing access to Uruca, Pavas, Mata Redonda, Hatillo, San Sebastián, San Francisco, Zapote, San Pedro, Mercedes, Guadalupe, Calle Blancos and León XIII.

The newly opened segment is part of a broader national effort to improve transportation infrastructure across Costa Rica. In recent weeks, MOPT also began construction on a new section of Route 1, the northern Inter-American Highway, between the canton of Barranca in Puntarenas Province and the Limonal district in Guanacaste Province.

MOPT oversees the country’s road network, ports, airports and public transportation systems.