The San Ramón Highway Expansion: The Corridor It Opens and the Towns It Changes
For people who regularly drive west from San José, the problem is familiar: the farther you travel toward the Central Valley's western towns, the more traffic can become part of the journey.
Now, that corridor is being redesigned.
In April 2026, Costa Rica officially authorized $770 million in financing for the San José–San Ramón highway project. The plan covers 55.6 kilometers of Route 1, from near La Sabana to the entrance of San Ramón, plus a 4.45-kilometer connection between Río Segundo and Belén.
For property investors, the interesting part isn't simply the road itself.
It's what happens when towns that once felt "farther away" become easier to reach.
Start in San José. Then Follow the Road West.
The project is designed as a continuous corridor rather than an isolated road improvement.
Between San José and Juan Santamaría International Airport, the planned highway will have four lanes in each direction. From the airport toward San Antonio del Tejar, the design calls for three lanes in each direction, followed by two lanes in each direction toward San Ramón. The project also includes interchanges, bridges, pedestrian infrastructure, marginal roads, and improvements to the Río Segundo connection.
That creates a different investment map.
Alajuela and Río Segundo
The eastern portion connects major residential, commercial, airport, and employment areas.
The Río Segundo–Belén component is particularly relevant because it strengthens connections around one of the Central Valley's busiest transportation zones.
Grecia
Grecia sits farther west, but it is directly connected to the corridor.
A new two-level interchange is already under construction, designed to improve the connection between the town and Route 1 while eliminating the existing at-grade crossing.
For investors, that matters because access is part of a property's location value.
Naranjo
Naranjo is another town specifically included in the interchange improvements planned for the corridor. Better connections can make the town more accessible to people working elsewhere in the Central Valley while maintaining its smaller-town character.
That combination is worth watching.
San Ramón
San Ramón is where the corridor ends—and where some of the most visible work is already happening.
The new interchange at the entrance to San Ramón reached approximately 25% completion in August 2026. The project is designed to separate local traffic from Route 1 through a two-level configuration, improving entry and exit to the canton.
This isn't a future-only story anymore.
Parts of the transformation are already physically underway.
The Towns Don't Have to Become Cities to Benefit
This is the part investors should watch carefully.
The highway does not need to turn Grecia, Naranjo, or San Ramón into another Escazú or Santa Ana for property demand to change.
It only needs to make the distance feel smaller.
A professional who works in the western GAM may be more willing to consider a home farther west if the commute becomes more predictable.
A retiree may value easier access to San José and the airport.
A rental property may become more attractive to tenants who want space and a quieter setting without completely disconnecting from the Central Valley.
Infrastructure can therefore expand the practical radius of where people are willing to live.
But Don't Buy the Highway Story Alone
A new road does not automatically make every nearby property a good investment.
The smarter approach is to identify locations where transportation improvements overlap with existing fundamentals:
Established residential demand
Schools and healthcare
Commercial activity
Attractive land or property pricing
Rental demand
Quality of life
Reasonable access to the improved corridor
That is where infrastructure can become a catalyst rather than simply an interesting headline.
What This Means for a Costa Rica Investor
The San José–San Ramón project is one of the country's largest current transportation investments, with the government estimating that approximately 582,000 people will benefit and around 170,000 users currently travel the route each day.
Construction of the main expansion is expected to begin in the second half of 2027, according to reporting citing MOPT, with an estimated execution period of 24–30 months.
That gives investors something important: time to study the corridor before the finished infrastructure becomes reality.
At Kindred Consulting Costa Rica, we look at infrastructure projects as one part of a larger investment calculation. A promising transportation corridor still needs to be evaluated against purchase price, rental potential, financing, taxes, operating costs, and a realistic five-year forecast.
Because the opportunity may not be in the town everyone is talking about today.
It may be in the town that becomes easier to reach tomorrow.
Email: jennifer@kc-cr.com
Office: +1-830-265-4818 / +506-8518-4062
WhatsApp: +1-830-613-4531 / +506-8518-4062
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