The Vice President Raquel Peña, who is from Santiago, and the Santiago City Mayor Ulises Rodriguez have expressed their concern over delays in major road works in Santiago city.
The Presidential Commission to Support Provincial Development had promised the merchants along Calle del Sol, the main street in the heart of downtown Santiago, that work on the underground tunnel for all of the overhead cables for electricity, telephones and data, would be completed within 60 days. This is the historical center of a city that is 500 years old, and the commercial center for much of the nation’s second-largest city. However, these promises have not been fulfilled and local merchants are up in arms about the situation that they claim is costing them a lot of money.
The first phase of the operation goes from Calle Cuba to Calle Sabana Larga. This is about a 200- meter, two-block stretch in the upper part of the street. It borders Columbus Park, the famous Pez Dorado Restaurant, and the La Altagracia parish church.
The intersection of Sol and Sabana Larga is a major point of action for public vehicles (conchos) and others that are going to residential and shopping areas to the north.
The project itself, to bury the cobweb of overhead powerlines, old telephone cables, and modern optic and data cables underground, was widely applauded because of the visual appeal of cleaning up the skyline.
However, the chaos created by all of the obligatory detours for the motorists, as well as the nearly impossible traffic situation created by these detours, and the ever-decreasing foot traffic along the street, have caused a severe economic hardship situation for the merchants. The merchants want President Abinader to come and see for himself and push the project to a speedy conclusion.
The Vice President has said the government will seek to ensure the contractors speed up the works.
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Listin Diario
Listin Diario
24 November 2025