Costa Rica's Second Vice President Luis Liberman announced Saturday that $1.5 million will be spent to build a new two-kilometer road in the northwestern province of Guanacaste.

The proposed road will connect Playa Panama with route 159, the roadway that links the coast with the provincial capital of Liberia farther inland. The project was announced in Liberia during the weekend celebration to commemorate the 186th anniversary of the annexation of the province to Costa Rica.

According to the Public Works and Transportation Ministry (MOPT), the new roadway project will be built in two stages. The first will connect the principal street of the town of Panama to Route 159 in Playa Arenilla, while the second stage will connect Route 159 with Playa Buena. MOPT also said the project will include improvement of some of the side roads and bridges in the area, as well as the creation of new bus stops. The projects are expected to be completed during the next three months.

“This is an important development both for tourism and the people of these communities,” Liberman said. “We want to provide tourists more access to these communities, which will generate employment and financial opportunities for their residents.”

The project, which will be implemented by MECO, a private contractor, will also improve the bridge over Quebrada La Pita. The one lane bridge will be expanded to two lanes and an additional support beam will be added to the bridge's base.