interior

Chiriquí roads lack asphalt

Eduardo Espinosa/LA PRENSA

Rough road:MOP crews in Chiriquí do not have the asphalt they need to repair roads, so they’re using inferior materials.1060772

A shortage of asphalt has Ministerio de Obras Públicas (MOP) crews in Chiriquí scrambling to find alternatives to make much-needed road repairs.

Arturo López, the MOP's region director in that province, said that crews are using a material made out of crushed stone as a replacement for the absent asphalt. This material, which is usually used as a base for paving projects, only lasts for a few weeks on its own, especially during rainy season.

Yet López said the crews do not have many alternatives, and that the makeshift repairs are better than nothing. He did not give a reason for the shortage of asphalt, although many construction materials are in short supply across the country.

Xenia Stewart, who lives in the neighborhood of Pedregal, noted that the road leading to the area was built in the late 1990s, and is badly in need of repairs. Stewart said that many visitors to the area, who arrive in Chiriquí at the port of Pedregal, are also appalled by the road's condition.

Nitzia Urriola, a resident of Las Lomas, said that the main road leading to the towns of Llano Grande, Llano Grande Abajo, Mata de Limón and Llano Grande Arriba is also in need of attention.