Hi Greg- I made the drive from David to Santiago and back in January, and to Boca Chica in February. There are several companies working on the road construction project, and I was impressed by the progress they are making. But they still have a ways to go and I would expect the work to continue the rest of this year.
Because they are actually building a new road parallel to the existing one I found the delays to be minimal. There are stretches where traffic moves a little slower because of the workers and equipment present, but I didn’t have any long waits due to the work in progress.
The section east of David posed no problem in February and we got to Boca Chica in a little more than an hour, from just north of David.
So the work is still ongoing and it will affect your trip if you drive. The good news is that with Copa now offering flights to David from Tocumen, we have more options for flying and the price has come down on Air Panama, too.
Have a safe trip, whatever you decide. Best regards, Linda