Traveling to La Romana from Santo Domingo now takes less than an hour-and-a-half as the new overpasses and express highway connecting San Pedro de Macoris with La Romana are open. On 30 November, the La Romana city bypass will open to the general public meaning it should take an hour to commute from La Romana to Santo Domingo, depending on city traffic in Santo Domingo.
From there it is another 40 minutes to Punta Cana. Once in Punta Cana enjoy traveling within that destination along the Boulevard Turistico del Este (BTE). President Danilo Medina was in Punta Cana last week to inaugurate the BTE and nearby roads and sidewalks for a total 65.2 km of major access roads in the eastern tourist area. It is now very easy to go from and to Santo Domingo to Punta Cana, including along the coastline route to Macao area beach resorts.
Minister of Tourism Francisco Javier Garcia said that the works have brought order to the leading tourist area that has helped create a new tourism model. He said the new boulevard matches the standards of the large hotel complexes in the area, a world-class destination. Grupo Punta Cana president, Frank Rainieri, speaking for investors, said that the highway is a major contribution to road safety.
Around 2.5 million tourists arrive via the Punta Cana International Airport that services the most passengers in the country and the Caribbean.
The Boulevard Turistico del Este is 30 km long, of which 26.4 km are four lanes wide, two in each direction from the Punta Cana International Airport. Another 3.6 km of two lanes continue to Macao in the north, 4 km of the Uvero Alto extension. The project also includes a further 17.2 km of secondary roads and sidewalks in Bavaro, Cabeza de Toro and Punta Cana area. The Boulevard Turistico is designed for a speed limit of 100 km per hour.
The works on the Boulevard Turistico del Este include the intersections of Manantiales, Cabeza de Toro, Coco Loco, CEPM Cocotal, Av. Papo Aveja, Friusa and Av. Estados Unidos. Other works that have been completed are the access road to Cap Cana, paving of sidewalks along the Estados Unidos, Espana, Italia, Francia, Alemania, Barcelo, El Cortecito and Friusa avenues and roads in Bavaro. Sidewalks were also built in roads within Cabeza de Toro. An access road to Uvero Alto has been built, and 7 km of the highway from Uvero Alto to Miches to the north of the Punta Cana region. Cisneros Group of Venezuela is investing in a major tourism development in Miches, where a Four Seasons hotel is expected to open by 2015.