SANTO DOMINGO. – The bridge over the Lebrón stream, on the border between the municipalities of Pedro Brand and Los Alcarrizos, a fundamental road axis for thousands of residents in western Santo Domingo, is once again temporarily closed for maintenance work, this time for 10 days, according to the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC).
The structure, inaugurated in February 2025 by Vice President Raquel Peña and the then Minister of Public Works Deligne Ascención, shows signs of deterioration that has generated multiple community complaints, which they attribute to heavy traffic and the poor general condition of the road.
The Lebrón stream separates the community of La Güáyiga (Pedro Brand) from several sectors of Los Alcarrizos and Palmarejo-Villa Linda, and the bridge that crosses it, connecting neighborhoods like Eduardo Brito I and II, is a daily route for workers, students, and ambulances .
Although the current structure has been the subject of repeated official announcements, the history of this problematic crossing goes back much further than the recent political cycle, as the original bridge that served this route dates back to the mid-20th century.
And as the Minister of Public Works himself admitted at the inauguration of the footbridge a year ago, it had long since reached the end of its useful life.
Before that inaugural event, in 2021 dozens of families were left isolated after the collapse of a previous structure due to the overflowing of the Lebrón River after heavy rains, which forced them to request the intervention of Public Works.
In April 2022, President Luis Abinader led the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a bridge at this location, with an announced cost of RD$60 million, in response to the insistent demands of residents who were crossing the riverbed with makeshift planks, circumventing the lack of basic infrastructure between neighborhoods.
However, more than two years later, in September 2024, the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) again promised that the project would be completed “in 60 days,” after meeting with neighborhood associations and local authorities. That deadline passed without being met, while heavy traffic and complaints persisted.
Opening
Vice President Raquel Peña inaugurated the project a year ago. (External source).
On February 24, 2025, Vice President Raquel Peña formally inaugurated the bridge over the Lebrón stream, along with paved streets in Hato Nuevo, in a ceremony that brought together multiple projects under a total investment exceeding RD$447 million.
At the event, Peña stated that the structure addressed “a long-standing demand” and celebrated the improved access to schools, healthcare, and employment for families in Pedro Brand and Los Alcarrizos.
During the inauguration, the Minister of Public Works, Deligne Ascención, emphasized that the project replaces an original bridge from 1955 and that the investment in the structure totaled RD$80 million, including pilings, earthworks, beams, concrete, asphalt, and signage.
Despite the inauguration, criticism from residents never ceased. On social media and community forums, neighbors have questioned the quality, maintenance, and management of the project, pointing out that the bridge continues to deteriorate and that the government's intervention has been more about ceremonial acts than a real structural solution.
Furthermore, the Lebrón stream has become a source of major problems for the community, serving as a dumping ground for garbage, pollution, and environmental and social neglect in the surrounding neighborhoods, according to complaints from residents on social media.
Recommended readings:
- Government inaugurates bridges in La Vega and Puerto Plata with an investment exceeding RD$700 million
- Public Works launches international tender to renovate 53 bridges in 15 provinces
- Public Works calls for urgent tender for replacement of bridge over the Yaque del Norte River
- Public Works promises to deliver the bridge over the Lebrón stream in Pedro Brand in 60 days
