The president of the Samana Cluster, Rafael Blanco, says that the high tolls on the Santo Domingo-Samana highway are an obstacle to development of tourism in the province. He said that a car or SUV needs to pay RD$1,876 in tolls or around US$45 for the return trip.
He called for the government to help find a solution. Tourists heading overland to Puerto Plata from Santo Domingo pay RD$30 + RD$200 for the bypass road (return), and visitors headed to Punta Cana pay RD$300 (return) for comparable distances.
Blanco called for a meeting with the tourism commission of the Chamber of Deputies calling for a meeting between the Autopista del Nordeste S.A. that manages the tolls and the private sector. Samana businessmen Federico Schad, Pavel Martinez and Alejandro Orsini also spoke at the meeting, which was chaired by deputy David Collado. The businessmen said the high tolls also affected the transport of perishables. The toll road to Samana cuts driving time from the capital to Samana by half.