Limon will have new help to try to develop, as China announced they’ll give the Caribbean province a hand in a major road expansion project donating part of the funds needed to complete a highway that will bring a lot of tourists to the Caribe.

Limon is one of the most fascinating costa rica adventure travel places, but usually gets left behind by the government in terms of investments and renewals.

According to La Nacion Newspaper, the project will expand a 108-kilometer stretch of Route 32, which links San José to Limón. The idea is to improve from two to four lanes between Río Frío de Sarapiquí and Limón; plus add bicycle paths for local residents, pedestrian walkways and bridges for local traffic.

The numbers say almost 5,000 vehicles pass through the road daily, including about 700 cargo vehicles. The four lane highway will give the travelers a better space to perform and will avoid the heavy congestion the route suffers now days.

Chinese and Costa Rican officials say the project could have a price tag of up to $420 million, almost twice from the first estimated. China will offer financing in the form of low-interest loans, in addition to a partial donation.

China did the same thing with the Costa Rica national stadium, which became one of the most beautiful attractions in the country.

Limon is trying to grow as a zone. They will have a new shipping port slated to be built at the Caribbean port of Moín, by the Dutch company APM Terminals. This will definitely increase the flow of people along the route; that’s why the expansion of the highway seems like a no brainier.

If the motion is approved by the Costa Rican Comptroller General, the construction on the Moín shipping terminal would begin by 2013 and will be done by 2016.