Just two and a half months after being officially inaugurated by President Luis Abinader, a section of the brand new Bani Bypass Highway is showing significant cracks and construction deficiencies, raising immediate concerns about the quality of the infrastructure.
Listin Diario reporters observed the damage during a Saturday, 25 October 2025 tour of the roadway, which was opened to the public on 14 August 2025. The affected area is specifically located just before the entrance to Galeón in the Peravia province.
The cracks, or fissures, are visible within the asphalt of the new highway structure. At the site, more than three plastic traffic barriers are being used by authorities as a temporary measure to prevent drivers from passing over the visible indentations.
When questioned, employees of the RD-Vial Trust, located at the nearest toll station, confirmed the issue and assured reporters that the project’s contractors would be held responsible for the repairs.
“These are small details that have emerged over time, but that will be corrected; the contractors must correct it,” said one employee minimizing the situation. He employee identified himself as the person in charge of the toll station but declined to give his name.
The employee suggested that the damage to the bypass was a result of the heavy rains brought by Tropical Storm Melissa.
“It is understood that it is because of the rains because a lot of water has fallen. It is normal, as has happened in other places, because of the heavy rains,” he concluded.
The size of the largest gap was observed to be nearly the width of three human fingers.
Other sections of the highway connecting Santo Domingo and Bani do not show this kind of structural damage despite being decades in use.
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Listin Diario
27 October 2025