The Ministry of Public Works (MOPC) has announced a major project to refurbish nearly 500 of the nation’s 2,264 bridges. Over RD$7 billion would be invested.
While not all of the bridges of the Dominican Republic are large, such as those over the Ozama, Isabela, or Yaque del Norte rivers, there are thousands of smaller bridges that connect communities and regions, and many of these are well over half a century in age.
The recently completed National Bridge Census has provided the Ministry with the needed location and conditions of each of the bridges.
As a matter of curiosity, this data includes the centuries-old Puente de la Guinea in Puerto Plata and the more modern bridges over the Iguamo and Cumayasa rivers on the South Coast. Santo Domingo’s Puente Duarte dates back to the Trujillo regime and undergoes constant maintenance work as does the parallel Juan Bosch bridge.
Considering the damage created by the recent heavy rains in several areas of the country, it is obvious that the MOPC will be carrying out repairs and reconstructions of these priority areas. The census also provided detailed reports on just what needed to be repaired or refurbished.
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Acento
17 June 2024