SANTO DOMINGO- The Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) reported yesterday, Monday, that in the coming weeks there will be traffic interruptions at kilometer 9 of the Duarte Highway, with the placement of the beams on the north side of the bridge and when the demolition of the central part begins to install new ones.
Onéximo González, advisor to Minister Deligne Ascención, explained that the placement of the first seven beams on the south side of the bridge—which required diverting vehicular traffic—forms the first two lanes of the bridge's expansion, and that another seven beams will be placed on the north side next week. This will create four additional lanes.
Public Works reported that the expansion of the bridge at kilometer 9 of the Duarte highway over Gregorio Luperón Avenue is showing great progress with the placement, in the southern part, of the first seven beams, out of the 35 required, which are ready to be fully assembled in the coming weeks.
The iconic project is part of the expansion work on the country's most important land transportation route, which connects the capital city with the northern region, and which will be expanded from 8 to 14 lanes.
The supervision work for the assembly of the beams, carried out at night, was carried out, in addition to González, by the vice minister of Supervision and Inspection of Works, engineer Roberto Herrera.
On Km 9 of the Duarte highway, an average of more than 120,000 vehicles circulate daily, while on Luperón Avenue, around 50,000 do.
“To minimize traffic disruption on the Duarte highway, which currently has eight lanes, if we add two lanes in the north and two in the south, which is the working strategy, we will have eight lanes,” González explained.
He explained that "we will be able to close the central part, which is the part that will be demolished and is the part that takes the longest, that is, the Duarte highway in the process of constructing the six central lanes that it will finally have, this road will always have eight lanes in the construction process," he emphasized.
More than 60% complete
González added that the progress and work being done at Kilometer 9 is more than 60% complete. “People feel that the process and intensity of this work aren't visible, since this project is complex and complicated, because it has some difficult stages on the ground that aren't visible, such as the stormwater drainage, electrical installation, and a series of intensive tasks that haven't stopped.”.
He stated that there are some interruptions that are neither from the contracting firm Malespín nor from the Ministry of Public Works, but from some 13 high-voltage electrical towers that need to be moved, and that this is a process that takes time.
He explained that the MOPC has reached a consensus or agreement to relocate the Kilometer 9 terminal of the National Central of Transport Organizations (Conatra), which corresponds to the transporter Antonio Marte, so that the design of the work can look according to what was originally planned.
The Deputy Minister of Supervision and Oversight, Roberto Herrera, said that both President Luis Abinader and Minister Deligne Ascención have been emphatic in highlighting the importance of the lane expansion project on the Duarte Highway, specifically regarding Kilometer 9.
He said that the 35 beams that make up the new Duarte Highway bridge have already been manufactured, and that each beam is about 25 meters long.
“This project is 60 percent complete, and despite the major obstacles, expropriations, and the high-voltage power line that runs through this entire area, we are continuing to meet the work schedule we set for ourselves at the MOPC,” he stated.
