After a 40-year wait, yesterday, Wednesday 4 December there were celebrations in San Jose de Ocoa as President Danilo Medina cut the ribbon on the Cruce de Ocoa-San Jose de Ocoa Highway. The improved road includes drainage systems and safety infrastructure to protect against floodwaters during heavy rains that are common in the area. In the past, local farming communities were often cut off when sections of the mountain road collapsed after heavy rainfall.
The highway, built by Odebrecht and Rizek engineering companies under the supervision of the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC), is 24.6 kilometers long and has two lanes that are 3.30 meters wide. The highway was designed for an average speed of 46 kilometers per hour, since it is a winding mountain road.
On the same trip, the President inaugurated projects, including the new Sabana Larga bridge, a rural road from Ocoa to Sabana Grande and paving of streets in 17 areas in the province. The works were carried out over an 11-month period.
“The aim of these works is to promote and encourage the development of agro-industry in the province of San Jose de Ocoa. Also to reduce the time it takes for trucks to reach the city, with reductions in operating and fuel costs,” said the Minister of Public Works.
The municipal and congressional authorities stressed the importance of the highway, since the province is a major producer of farm products that are trucked to Greater Santo Domingo and other markets.
In his keynote speech at the event, the MOPC minister, Gonzalo Castillo, said that the government is exploring the option of extending the highway to Piedra Blanca, in Monsenor Nouel province, with an investment of US$130 million. Nevertheless the Minister did not specify the start date of this work.
Minister Castillo said that other works planned for 2014 are the improvements to the Bani-Azua highway, the Azua bypass, the Azua-Barahona road, Barahona-Enriquillo and Enriquillo-Pedernales, and the Bani bypass. He also announced that the tender for the controversial San Juan-Santiago mountain highway would take place early next year.
http://presidencia.gob.do/comunicados/ocoenos-reciben-con-jubilo-carretera-demandada-por-40-anos-presidente-inaugura