The proposals currently being discussed for a ground connection between the country’s northern and southern regions via the Central Mountains, include one that involves building a tunnel between San Juan de la Maguana and Santiago. This tunnel, according to its promoters, engineers William Read and Juan Marchena, would not harm the national parks or cause the eventual degradation of the surrounding areas by human settlement. Read, the director of the Engineering School at the Pedro Henriquez Urena National University (UNPHU) says that there is an undeniable need for a Cibao-Sur ground connection, but he is opposed to a highway, because it would lead to very serious environmental damage.
He told Diario Libre: “I believe that there are two connections that can be made; one is Constanza-Padre Las Casas, where there is currently a rural road that is used by farmers. This connection can be made, but the real one is Santiago-San Juan de la Maguana. The problem is that if we build a highway, they are going to end up stealing the pine trees that remain, and then we wrote a thesis in the UNPHU with some of the students, for making a connection with a tunnel. The tunnel begins in the J. Armando Bermudez National Park and comes out on the outskirts of the Jose del Carmen Ramirez National Park: in other words, it does not damage the national park at all,” said the veteran engineer, who has more than 50 years of experience.
The roadway will be some 38 kilometers long, according to the preliminary plans. From the Santiago side, it would begin in Mata Grande, in the municipality of San Jose de las Matas, and from the south it would begin at the Sabaneta Dam, in San Juan de la Maguana. “The tunnel is feasible; it is the only solution that works. The cost of the tunnel would be easily covered by the tolls that would be charged on the trucks.” According to Read, around 800 vehicles would have to use the Cibao-Sur route each day, bypassing Santo Domingo, especially traffic bound for Haiti. He calculates that the tunnel would cut driving times by 10 hours and save about RD$5,000 worth of fuel. As a result, a toll of perhaps US$100 would be perfectly payable.