Work is advanced on the new Boulevard Turistico del Atlantico (BTA), linking Santo Domingo and Las Terrenas, where most of the hotels in Samana are located. The Ministry of Public Works says that once open, travelers will be able to get from Santo Domingo to Las Terrenas in 1:45 minutes, driving north along the new road that borders the northern shoreline of the peninsula from El Catey. Near El Catey is the Corredor del Nordeste, the highway that links Las Americas Expressway in Santo Domingo (near the Las Americas Airport) and Samana. This makes Santo Domingo a viable option for tourists traveling to Samana. The Las Americas Airport is only second in the DR in number of international flights and the different airline arrivals and departures.
The 1-hour, 45-minute drive is considerably shorter than the four hours on the traditional roads.
The best news of all, though, is that people headed for Las Terrenas will be able to avoid taking the winding highway that crosses the peninsula from Sanchez.
The Ministry reports that the 24-kilometer highway, built at a cost of US$160 million, is 80% complete. The Ministry of Public Works has also been rebuilding the 99 kms of the Nagua-Sanchez-Samana-Las Terrenas road.
Considerable improvements to the 34 kms from Nagua-Sanchez-Samana stretch make it easy for tourists to travel to las Galeras, on the northeastern side of the peninsula.
Overall, the Boulevard Turistico del Atlantico is 123.648 kms long, spanning stretches from Nagua to Cruce Rincon de Molinillos, continuing to Sanchez, Samana, El Limon, Las Terrenas, the El Catey International Airport (AZS) on to Cruce Rincon de Molinillos.