The Ministry of Publlc Works announced the start of the construction of a road solution for Km 9 of the Duarte Highway, the country’s main north-south connection. The capital city exit to the central and northern provinces will be expanded from 8 to 14 lanes to reduce the present major congestion. At this point, commuters connect through the Luperon Avenue and Duarte Highway to roads in the south and north.
This is a major strangle point for traffic entering and leaving the National District, with eight lanes of traffic heading north and south, joining six lanes of traffic going east and west, without the benefit of wide access roads or road distributors.
New bridges, pedestrian walkways, better drainage and lighting are part of the restructuring project.
The Duarte freeway, was the first and certainly the most important road in the country when it began back in the early 20th Century. Probably then President Ramon Caceres had begun the road, but it was built by the United States occupying forces that arrived in 1916. In 1917 the occupation forces began the highway to Santiago that was inaugurated on 6 May 1922 to connect the two major cities of Santo Domingo (the capital) and Santiago.
The expansion project is scheduled for completion in late 2022, and will join the expansion of the entire 270-km highway, together with the Navarrete Bypass and the reconstruction of the highway to Montecristi.
Public Works Minister Deligne Ascención said the roadworks will cost upwards of RD$9 billion and that the estimated time for the project implementation is 10 months.
President Luis Abinader was present for the Thursday, 24 February 2022 start of works event. Also attending were the presidents of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, Eduardo Estrella and Alfredo Pacheco, respectively, and the mayors of the National District, Carolina Mejía, and Santo Domingo West, José Andújar, the governor of Santo Domingo province.
The Duarte road solution is the most costly of mega infrastructures President Luis Abinader mentioned in his 27 February rendition of accounts speech.
Read more in Spanish:
Ministry of Public Works
Diario Libre
28 February 2022