Toll Booths near El Catey airport

TropicalPaul

Bronze
Sep 3, 2013
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Can someone explain what they are doing with the toll booths near to El Catey. It seems that they are going to open the new one next to the airport roundabout, so will there be a charge for driving from Nagua to Sanchez? There is also the other one which is about to open on the Las Terrenas route through the mountains, so I just can't figure out if they are introducing an extra charge.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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First one was built on the main road.... as you say , before the LT turn off & airport

Huge outcry b/c it appeared to toll access to the peninsula....

Then a temporary toll booth went up on the LT Highway....
Now , the permanent one is almost finished

What will happen to the original 'mistake'... is anybody's guess..
it just sits there
 

DRDreamer72

Member
Nov 17, 2014
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At the moment it is all rumor as to what is happening.
Yes a new 'permanent' station has been built on the Boulevard to Las Terrenas. It looks like it is replacing the old temporary shack.
There has been work carried out on the original booth before the roundabout going from Nagua to Sanchez/Las Terrenas.

Then it all becomes unclear what is happening. There are rumors that a toll will be put in place at the larger 'mistake'. There has also been information from the operators saying it was just 'routine maintenance'.
It is clear that if a toll is put in place at that 1st, larger toll, there will be protests.

We wait and see........
 

TropicalPaul

Bronze
Sep 3, 2013
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There was definitely quite a lot of activity at the larger "mistake" when I drove through yesterday. They had the traffic lights working and the barriers were going up and down, but when I drove and stopped they waved me on. The second one on the Las Terrenas road is also about to open very soon, there was a guy inside and I suspect it will be open for Semana Santa. It's how the "mistake" will work that I am curious about.
 

LTSteve

Gold
Jul 9, 2010
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There was definitely quite a lot of activity at the larger "mistake" when I drove through yesterday. They had the traffic lights working and the barriers were going up and down, but when I drove and stopped they waved me on. The second one on the Las Terrenas road is also about to open very soon, there was a guy inside and I suspect it will be open for Semana Santa. It's how the "mistake" will work that I am curious about.

This is a great piece of engineering and construction however the DR gov made a very poor contract arrangement with the Columbian company who originally built the road. The DR gov had to guarantee that the money collected from tolls would be given to this company to pay off the debt. That is why the toll amounts are so high and they also originally wanted to charge a toll to enter the Samana Peninsula on Rt.5. They had to back off this idea because of protests by truck drivers and other commercial vehicle companies. This whole "arrangement" made by the DR Gov., under Lionel Fernandez smells of bribes and kick backs in order to get the road built without the Gov having to pay any money upfront. Someone lined their pockets and now people using the road and the extension to LT are paying a hefty price.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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THose 'bribes & kickbacks' total $93M or something - quite famous now

That 'hefty price' for the 20 minute on the short-cut is 571 pesos

I will pay it once - on the return... I go the old way to arrive.

Good report LT.... exactly as I remember it happening
 

drstock

Silver
Oct 29, 2010
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Cabarete
Yes, I never use the toll road unless I have a passenger who really wants to see the views or save some time. I am pretty sure they would make more money if they reduced the toll so that more vehicles would use the road, but it's anyone's guess what the optimum amount would be.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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more for that 20-25 minute trip than the whole length of the N-S road

And the view going to LT is not as good as when coming from LT
 

DRDreamer72

Member
Nov 17, 2014
204
7
18
Well for anyone interested. The big multi lane booth before the airport seems to remain as before, you just drive through with no charge.
The 2nd small booth on the coastal road from El Catey to Las Terrenas has been replaced with a shiny, new permanent station a few yards down the road, in the same style as the normal toll booths.