New road Piedra Blanca to Rancho Arriba

http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...concluira-vias-en-piedra-blanca-y-villa-mella

According to the above article in Listin Diario the new road between Piedra Blanca and Rancho Arriba is to be opened this December or January.

As a person that has travelled this route on a very rocky dirt road through the mountains, this is an exciting development opening up the south west via San Jose de Ocoa from the Cibao without the long route through the capital.

This is a very beautiful part of this country, full of very beautiful geography and I encourage anyone who enjoys scenic driving through ever changing topography to make plans to take this route after opening.

A day out and a bbq and cold beer by the banks of Rio Nizao close to Rancho Arriba is a lovely way to spend a day especially knowing the jouney home will be on a new road. And they have some good coffee in those parts.

http://www.listindiario.com/la-repu...etera-piedra-blanca-juan-adrian-rancho-arriba

97% complete. Should be formally opened very soon.

http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias...a-monsenor-nouel-y-san-jose-de-ocoa-XI3486653

The road has been opened officially. Should be a lovely drive having driven the very rough dirt road in the past through the mountains with lovely scenery all around.

I drove this road today several years after enduring the rough track from Piedra Blanca to Rancho Arriba and back, taking about two hours each way. Todays drive from Piedra Blanca was about half and hour with stops.

It is a pleasant drive and a decent number of overtaking zones on the steep uphill section. Good civil engineering and some effort has gone into landscaping. They have drilled small holes I the rock faces and planted grass such that some elevations are well covered now. and they have turfed the road margins. Some good scenic views to take in.

Nice to pass the coffee plantations on arrival in Rancho Arriba. My understanding is that this is a prime source for Santo Domingo coffee.

Now the less good news.

The road from Rancho Arriba to Nizao is still in a state of construction. It appears the culvert work is close to completion so maybe paving is not that far away. It wasn't that rough and passing alongside a fast flowing river helped distract attention from the road. From Nizao to San Jose de Ocoa is good as is the road to Cruz de Ocoa. Some very beautiful scenery indeed to be found all around on this section of the drive from Rancho Arrriba. Some lovely spots for a leisurely day and a bbq with cold beers and cooling off by the river and already planned.

Also on the outbound journey I tried the Santo Domingo ring road from Haina to Pedro Brand for the first time and that cut driving time north hugely. It is accessed a mile or so past the toll on 30 de Mayo. Tolls cost 160rd to go this way.

Here's a video of the new PB to RA road posted earlier this year:

[video=youtube_share;qEYnltJFiaA]https://youtu.be/qEYnltJFiaA[/video]

bachata said:

I applaud the construction of this road, but still the country needs another one to connect El Cibao and El Sur...

From Piedra Blanca to Ocoa is a long haul around skipping Santo Domingo between El Sur and El Cibao but I don't think
this is going to increase commercial relationship between the two areas of the country.

JJ

Click to expand...

Not sure were you are coming from.

Piedra Blanca to Pedro Brand and then the ring road to Haina, then to Bani and Cruz de Ocoa, assuming no bad Bani traffic will take a minimum of two hours plus minimum 100rd toll (160 back) for light vehicle.

If they complete the Nizao to Rancho Arriba section it would likely take one and a half hour maximum to the Cruz from PB. Considering the immediate trade will be the San Jose and surrounding areas agricultural goods to the Cibao, that journey time has been slashed even with a short incomplete section.

Would love to see the San Jose de Ocoa to Constanza road improved......(so I can drive it). With the mountain range in the way I doubt a link from the northern Cibao to San Juan will be built for many a year if at all.....but that would be nice.