The Ministry of Public Works explains that while the much-anticipated expansion to 14 lanes on kilometer 9 of the Duarte Highway will take to September to be completed, the finish details will further postpone the roadworks at the north-south capital city grid to November 2024, Diario Libre reports. Vice Minister of Public Works Roberto Herrera made the announcement during a presentation at the National Association of Enterprises and Industries of Herrera (ANEIH). He was accompanied by Oneximo González, Duarte Km 9 project director. The Ministry of Public Works had kept a promotional campaign for months announcing the project would be completed in August 2024.
The expansion project, initiated in 2022 with a 10-month timeline, has faced several delays. Herrera attributed the delays to the complexity of the project but assured the public that the wait would be worth it because the additional lanes will significantly improve traffic flow in the area.
Funding for this project, as well as other major road infrastructure improvements in the Greater Santo Domingo area, now comes from an agreement with the state-owned airport operator, Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI (Aerodom).
Other ongoing projects include upgrades to the Isabel Aguilar and Prolongación 27 de Febrero intersection, lane expansions at the Plaza de la Bandera roundabout, and improvements to the Prolongación Jacobo Majluta-República de Colombia corridor. These projects are expected to be completed within two years.
The officials outlined several other infrastructure projects to be built in this term of the Abinader administration. They are:
• The extension of Nicolás de Ovando Avenue and its connection to Francisco del Rosario Sánchez Avenue.
• The extension of Rómulo Betancourt Avenue to the 6 de Noviembre Highway.
• Upgrades to Los Praditos, including the expansion of Dr. Defilló Avenue.
• The connection of Olof Palme Street to Heriberto Núñez Street.
These projects, they said, are all financially backed by the agreement with Aerodom.
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Diario Libre
20 August 2024