President Danilo Medina recently announced his determination to proceed with the construction of a highway that would cut through three National Parks and provide a seventh route from San Juan de la Maguana in the southwest to the central city of Santiago de los Caballeros (El Rubio-Sabaneta). La Lupa magazine this week publishes comments in favor and against, and analyzes alternatives to the new road. Leading the voices in favor is Bishop of San Juan de la Maguana Monsignor Dolores Grullon who argues that only 27 new kilometers would have to be built. There is speculation that the highway would benefit a location in which the Monsignor is involved.
Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo was not available for comments on the La Lupa findings.
In the 2013 budget, the Medina administration authorizes the PLD-majority Congress to contract financing with private banking for US$345.3 million for the improvement and construction of the Santiago-San Juan highway, reports this week’s edition of La Lupa magazine. The details and technical studies have not been released. Jose del Carmen Ramirez and Jose Armando Bermudez parks that would be affected are sources to 12 of the most important Dominican rivers.
When President Guzman was in power (1978-1982), then public works minister Rafael Corominas Pepin justified the construction on the grounds that it would enable the exploitation of forestry and mining resources. At the time, environmentalist Antonio Thomen successfully argued that the road would mean the demise of the rivers, accelerating desertification and compounding the social problems affecting the mountain areas.
La Lupa reports that the builder of the Constanza-San Jose de Ocoa road, who was minister of public works from 1949-1960, Pascual Santoni regretted the effects of that road, which could be an indication of what would happen if the government goes ahead with the announced new road.
When he was minister of the Presidency during the Fernandez government, Medina himself acknowledged the risks, as reported in La Lupa: “This is an ecological issue: the highway will pass through the mountains of the Cordillera Central and that is problematic.”
During the first President Leonel Fernandez government, Rafael Camilo, who at the time was National Planning Director, described the highway as “anti-economic.” He said there was not enough traffic to justify such an enormous investment. He also objected to the highway on the grounds that 70% of the main rivers were located there.
Engineer Rafael Leonel Carrasco, then-deputy minister of Public Works also objected to the highway for its high cost. At the time he also mentioned alternative routes.
http://www.lalupa.com.do/2013/03/carretera-san-juan-santiago-una-daga-de-asfalto-y-acero-en-el-corazon-forestal-del-pais/#more