Costasur/Casa de Campo News reports that construction of the La Romana Bypass is progressing and should be completed by November 2013. The bypass will link to the new Coral Highway, reducing the time it takes to travel eastwards from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana by another half an hour. It currently takes about two hours to get from Santo Domingo to La Romana’s Casa de Campo Resort with another half an hour for tourists heading for Bayahibe’s hotels. From there to Punta Cana’s international airport, add on another 40 minutes of easy driving through sugar cane fields.
The La Romana bypass will be a reprieve from the city traffic in La Romana. The four-lane 14km highway is being built by Odebrecht for the Ministry of Public Works.
Costasur/Casa de Campo News reports that when completed, travelers will be able to cross La Romana in 8 to 10 minutes compared to the average driving time of about 25 to 40 minutes during rush hour.
In addition to the La Romana bypass, the project includes the completion of the San Pedro de Macoris to La Romana stretch, another 34 kilometers. As reported, the San Pedro de Macoris Bypass will include an overpass over the Hato Mayor crossing, an open tunnel at the Pedro Santana intersection and an exchange at the end of the beltway.
“Once it is finished, drivers from the capital will be able to reach the entrance to Casa de Campo in just over an hour,” reported Costasur/Casa de Campo News. A new entrance closer to Altos de Chavon is due to open once the bypass is completed. The publication comments that although many people are already commuting to the capital from Casa de Campo on a daily basis, the new bypass and completion of the Santo Domingo-La Romana Corridor will make living in Casa de Campo while working in Santo Domingo an appealing option for hundreds more families.