President Luis Abinader in his 14 July 2025 press conference had said that the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Public Works were in charge of making a presentation of the roadwork that would be built. He spoke answering a question about the impact of the roadwork on the Santo Domingo Botanical Gardens park that has about 200,000 square meters. Unnamed technicians of the Botanical Gardens, and a former director of the park, have shared concerns that studies were underway for cuts in areas at the beloved city park.
During the La Semanal press conference on 21 July 2025, nevertheless, President Abinader would tell everyone to hold their horses and wait for the government presentation on 23 July 2025 at the Botanical Gardens.
He advanced: “The Botanical Gardens not only will not be touched, instead we will add 20,000 m2 to the North.” He speculated the concern that 20,000 m2 would be cut came because there was concern the government would carry out a Odebrecht-designed plan that had been prepared for the Ministry of Public Works during a past PLD government. The President criticized that the PLD had impacted the Parque del Este and the Parque Los Tres Ojos.
He said the PRM government has added public spaces and parks to Greater Santo Domingo – mentioning the Cristo Park and the planned 50,000 m2 on the Malecon, Domingo Savio park and other works on the Malecon.
He urged journalists to wait for the presentation that will be made on Wednesday, 23 July 2025 at the Botanical Gardens itself, to which the general public is invited. The President will not be at the meeting because he will be in Guyana.
He said the announcement would be made by Minister of Public Works, Eduardo Estrella who he highlighted precisely had served as a secretary of Public Works during a Joaquin Balaguer administration. The Botanical Gardens was built during the government of the late President Joaquin Balaguer. “That park will not be touched, it will receive added land,” the President reiterated during the La Semanal press conference.
This week, the Minister of Environment had said the park would be impacted but minimally for the construction of the roadworks. The Minister of the Environment Paino Henriquez told reporters at the end of last week that the government projects will affect the Botanical Gardens, but only a tiny bit. He said that the area to be used by the Ministry of Public Works will be just 0.01% of the area of the gardens and none of the really sensitive areas. According to the minister, the remodeling of the Colombia Avenue will reduce travel time on the strategic roadway from an hour and a half to just ten minutes, and this is a great savings of time and possible contamination
The current PRM city government of the National District has been criticized for the authorization of high- rise apartments in the city that have eliminated thousands of trees in the city.
During the present government, hundreds of trees have also been cut in the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center to build more sports venues and installations.
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La Semanal Minute 14:25
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22 July 2025