Road Work Update

Work on the road that will provide us with vehicle access to the property is advancing at a good pace. With only 13 local men, each working 30 hours a week and using only manual tools, we are more than three quarters of the way to getting our car to the property’s entrance.

For ease of management we have broken the road project into three sections. The first section is a 656meter pubic dirt road that has not been maintained since 1979. Needless to say, when we first viewed this road it was in bad shape. For the last 27 years it had only been used by farmers making their way to and from their land by foot or on horse or mule.

The second part of the project is a 153meter private road owned by the Alfonso Valle Castillo co-operative and leads directly to our property entrance. As mentioned in previous blog updates, we will have an on-going right to use this road.

The final section of the road creation project is a path that will permit travel on our property from the bottom platform to the top platform where all of the private cabins and main lodge will be located. This third section will only be started on when we have completed sections 1 and 2.

Every day of work yields progress. Since commencement on Section 1 in late December we have;
Decided upon the vehicle path of Section 1 and 2
Decided upon the water run-off paths
Cleared all weeds, tree trunks, large rocks
Almost completed levelling Section 1
Commenced mortaring the high gradient part of Section 1

Because Totoco will not own the land over which Sections 1 and 2 pass, we have opted for a strategy that minimizes expenditure on these two sections but which will provide us with the access we require. The strategy involves a two-step approach – the first prior to the rain season and the second once the rains have started and compacting has taken place. The strategy and path for Section 3 is to be determined once the contouring of the property is completed.