The Dominican government announced it will be investing RD$900 million (about US$64 million) to expand the John F. Kennedy, Máximo Gómez and Independencia avenues in Santo Domingo to make way for the new busses that will be introduced in January. The bus routes are part of a major re-organization of transport presently underway in the city of Santo Domingo. The first 100 buses of a total 600 will be on the roads gradually, from January to April 1998, according to engineer Hamlet Hermann, director of the Autoridad Metropolitana de Transporte, AMET, the new metropolitan transport authority.The government is implementing recommendations made by a transport study carried out by Sercitec-Delcan. Drivers in Santo Domingo can expect changes in traffic direction on some roads and avenues so that the main thoroughfares can be used primarily by public transport.Already underway is the expansion of the 27 de Febrero Avenue to 10 lanes in several areas. The "27th" crisscrosses the city of Santo Domingo from east to west, allowing commuters to go as far as Manoguayabo in the west to Los Tres Ojos on the way to the Las Americas International Airport in the east.Amet announced last week that 100 new metropolitan police have completed their training. Some 15 police on motorcycle with radio communication will also be on the roads.Amet announced that after traffic along the 27 de Febrero Avenue has been regularized, works will begin on the expansion of the John F. Kennedy corridor, further north. Next will be Máximo Gómez, in the direction of south-north, to be followed by the Avenida Independencia, which runs parallel to the seacoast boulevard.Geometric modifications will be made on the Isabel Aguiar, Caonabo, Privada, Defillo and Núñez de Cáceres streets and avenues where they intersect with 27 de Febrero Avenue to facilitate right and left turns and the flow of cars turning right.Furthermore, the Amet is investing RD$20 million in the installation of synchronized traffic lights on 37 intersections points on the 27 de Febrero, from the west end at Urbanización Alameda to the Juan Pablo Duarte Bridge in the east.Other measures that will help organize traffic in the city include the construction of large parking buildings in the vecinity of the Central Bank and the National Police, the Huacal, and the colonial city. The government has also called for a tender for the construction of the parking building where the National Police headquarters is located.Amet, in its efforts to organize traffic, has also announced that work schedules of government employees will be changed as of January 1998. The study showed that over 500,000 persons travel on city streets from 7:30 to 8 am.Engineer Hermann, director of the transport authority, said that the bus routes from now on will be assigned by tenders. He said that those who would like to offer the service, will be able to participate in the contest where the routes will be assigned. Engineer Hermann referred to the dispute of Fenatrano who protested in front of the National Palace for favoritism in the assignation of the routes. He said Fenatrano buses will have to compete with the other companies.He also announced that buses in poor condition will not qualify to operate on the new routes that are being planned. This could affect over 1,000 "voladoras" or mini-busses offering the service today.The organization of transportation in the city of Santo Domingo is a priority of the Fernández government. There are strong reasons to straighten out the chaos. In the first 11 months of 1997, there were 3,000 deaths due to car accidents. Insurance companies are paying over RD$70 million a month for accidents, up 56%, compared to 1996. Accidents are the major cause of medical emergencies in this country, the fourth cause of hospitalitization and the fifth in hospital deaths. In Santo Domingo, there are 56 points where more than 10 accidents occur monthly.In 1966, there were 54,992 cars in Santo Domingo, 170,117 in 1976 and 405,842 in 1986 and 507,511 in 1997. according to a report in the Listin Diario’s section, La Revista Economica.
