Santo Domingo’s Duarte Bridge, which links the western and eastern parts of the capital across the Ozama river, is scheduled to reopen on Friday, 24 February, at 5:00pm. The bridge will have been closed for one month for essential repair works, as reported by Diario Libre. Refurbishment of the 50-year-old bridge cost US$16 million and will be re-inaugurated by President Fernandez in early March, according to Deputy Public Works Minister, Hugo Morales Arias. Estrumet-lecc Consortium, which is the contractor for the repairs, will also provide maintenance for the next five years. The bridge was built between 1953 and 1955 at a cost of RD$5 million by the American Bridge Corporation, a subsidiary of the United States Steel Corporation.