If you have travelled by car to Santa Teresa in the last few months, you will have noticed that there are big works going on at the Paquera Ferry Terminal. The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT), in cooperation with the InterAmerican Development Bank (BID) and with Ineco (a Spanish transport engineering and consultancy organization, which also helped the government with the modernization of the San Jose International Airport some years ago), is in the process of expanding and improving the ferry terminal. With the huge amount of traffic that comes through the ferry terminal, such a project was probably somewhat overdue and in fact has been in the planning stage for the last 5 years.
In May 2021, after a bidding process, the MOPT awarded the contract for the works to Copisa. The initial budget for the project was $2.9 million, but it has since increased to $5 million with additions to the original plan. Copisa were given 270 days to complete the project! A very ambitious deadline and they are currently 82% behind schedule.
The new terminal will cover an area of 23,000m2 (municipal property), and the idea is to provide a much more organized and comfortable experience for drivers and travellers. The plans include green areas, long-term parking, a large pre-embarkation area for vehicles, two separate public bathrooms, a large treatment plant, area for sale of food and drink and an ambulance station. You can see the plan for the terminal below.
In February of 2023, the MOPT held a meeting with the residents of Paquera to present the updated plan in more detail and to hear any questions/concerns. Whilst the reception was for the most part positive, the local residents raised some good questions and concerns - such as, what is the plan for taxis or minibuses? what is the plan for the road coming in and out of the Terminal, which requires amplification to avoid accidents? Who will be responsible for operating the treatment plant? What is the plan for the ambulance ramp?
It looks like the plan is a great improvement on the current terminal, which is often a confusion of cars, trucks and buses! The MOPT were careful to point out that this is Phase 1 of the works on the terminal, and that further improvements will come in future years. We look forward to seeing how it all progresses and hope that it has an overall positive impact on the town of Paquera.
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