Over the last few weeks, the Danilo Medina administration has begun projects, or announced them, for a total value of more than US$1 billion. This total will go up once ground is broken for the Duarte Corridor II, valued at US$280 million, which brings the total expenditures to US$1.325 billion.
The first of the projects announced, the Northern Beltway around Santiago, at a cost of US$100 million, will go from Canabacoa to the Santiago-Puerto Plata Highway, a distance of some 24km and is being built by Odebrecht and the Estrella Group.
On Tuesday 18 June, President Danilo Medina led the groundbreaking ceremony for the start up of the Santo Domingo Beltway, whose first phase will cover 23 kilometers at a cost of US$95 million. The road will connect the Duarte Highway at Km 23 with the town of Haina, and go through Los Alcarrizos and Santo Domingo West. The road, which will be constructed by the Compreica-Alba Sanchez Consortium, will mean that traffic coming from the southwest and the north and headed eastwards can avoid crossing through Santo Domingo.
Meanwhile, the Transport Reorganization Office (Opret) and the Santo Domingo East City Council made the official announcement of the work on Line 2 east of the Santo Domingo Metro at a cost of US$850 million and a length of 11.5 kilometers from the Francisco del Rosario Sanchez Bridge all the way to the entrance to the San Luis municipal district, passing along San Vicente de Paul Avenue and the Mella Highway.
President Danilo Medina will be heading the groundbreaking ceremonies for the start of the work on the Duarte Corridor II today, Monday 24 June, including tunnels and overpasses at the intersections of 27 de Febrero with Privada avenues, 27 de Febrero with Caonabo, Luperon with 27 de Febrero, 27 de Febrero with Isabel Aguiar, San Vicente de Paul with Mella Highway, Charles de Gaulle with Mella, Ecologica with Charles de Gaulle, San Vicente de Paul with Fernandez de Navarrete, Los Proceres with Republica de Colombia, Colombia with Jacobo Majluta, Colombia with Sol Poniente and Colombia with Monumental Avenue.
The announcement of the start of work on the second stage of the cleanup of the Guajimia Creek is not on this list of projects. The cost of this cleanup is estimated at US$168 million.