SANTO DOMINGO.-The Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) reopened traffic this Sunday on the section of highway between kilometer 39 and 45 of the Duarte Highway, Villa Altagracia, known as "Paso de la Muerte" (Pass of Death), where a bridge was built and installed, as well as correcting the inclination to guarantee greater safety.
For 13 days the North-South detour was maintained to correct the lack of inclination that caused frequent accidents, since the road was widened in previous decades.
The Director of Supervision and Oversight, Henry Vargas, reported that the work, with an investment of around 70 million pesos, was done as part of the transformation and expansion that the ministry has been carrying out on the Duarte highway, which will become one of the safest roads.
The MOPC, in coordination with the General Directorate of Land Transit (DIGESETT) and the Military and Police Commission (COMIPOL), allowed the full circulation of traffic starting at 10 a.m. today on this road section.
Technical details
The road repair was to correct an error in the geometric design of the section, which did not have the superelevation or inclination that counteracts the effect of the centrifugal force acting on cars when they travel through curves, and which, lacking that inclination, tend to run off the road.
To correct the problem of the section, which also includes a bridge, the MOPC technicians and the private firm Yelow devised a suitable engineering plan that included the addition of a half-meter concrete wedge, inserted with bolts to the deck of the existing bridge, without constituting an overload that affects its safety.
The Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) reminds drivers to comply with speed limits and drive prudently, as this helps prevent human and material losses when traffic accidents occur.
