The start of the project for the widening and overpass construction of the Pista Juan Pablo II in Managua has been anticipated since 2017. Now, after an announcement on March 30th 2021, the plan has taken a major step forward as the bidding process commences for some of the sections of the project.
A total of 6 months has been allowed for the bid and tender for this part of the work which is confined to two sections of the project. One of the sections is from the Nejapa Overpass in the west of the city up to the Rotonda del Periodista. The other is the section from the Barrio Riguero traffic lights to the Semaforos del Nuevo Diaro (La Robelo) on Carratera Norte.
Funding for the project is coming from; the European Investment Bank, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) and the government of Managua through the Mayor’s Office of Managua.
The 9.55 Kilometer (6 miles) Pista Juan Pablo II is considered the longest divided highway in the nation’s capital and connects Carretera Sur (US Embassy going south) in the west with Carretera Norte running from the west of the city to the airport in the east. Future plans include a METROBÚS Rapid Transit dedicated fast bus lane for the pista aimed at opening up connections to new commercial areas.
Some landmarks you might be familiar with along the way, starting in the west are; Mercado Israel Lewites, Hospital Bertha Calderon Roque, UCA (Universidad Centro Americana), Rotonda del Periodista, Rotonda Rubén Darío at Metrocentro Shopping Mall, Rotonda Santo Domingo and then up to Carretera Norte.
As with a lot of landmarks in Nicaragua, they are often known by different names, depending on the age of the person or even their political persuasion. Pista Juan Pablo II is no exception to this. The route is often referred to as Pista de la Resistencia as well as the lesser known Avenida Rubén Darío.
The road was conceived in the 1960’s under Arturo José Cruz Porras (Arturo Cruz Sr.), the Minister of the National District (Mayor’s Office of Managua). Originally known as “Circunvalación” (ring road or beltway) and was also known as the “Bypass” because Anastasio Somoza liked the connotation of the European name. However in 1979 it was renamed “Pista de la Resistencia” after the revolution of that year. Politics again contributed to a renaming of the popular route when in 1998, President Arnoldo Alemán named it Pista John Paul II in honor of the Pope’s visit to Nicaragua.
