DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

The Minister of Environment Paino Henriquez has told Diario Libre that the Botanical Gardens will not be impacted by roadworks. But strong rumors are that the expansion to enable flow of more traffic from the Avenida de Colombia will chop off 11,000 from the National Botanical Gardens or at least the outside sidwalks. The rumors are fueled by the lack of clarification and denial of these from the Ministry of Public Works, responsible for overseeing the roadworks. The National Botanical Gardens has not issued a statement denying the rumors. City residents fear they will lose a part of the beloved city park.

The population in general understands that the bottlenecks are unbearable but the Botanical Gardens cannot be the one to pay the price. The Botanical Gardens is seen as a key national park at a time when city government for years has allowed the construction and opening of...