The investment for the project exceeds RD$2,454.3 million.
SANTO DOMINGO EAST - The inauguration of the remodeled Colonel Rafael Tomás Fernández Domínguez Avenue will cause real estate expansion to continue advancing more and more in that area, and will soon produce dynamic commercial activity, stated the Minister of Public Works, Deligne Ascención.
“This project is probably the most important in the municipality of Santo Domingo Este, which is the heart of an urban development in this entire area where thousands of apartments have been built privately, and by the governments themselves, which over time have been developing housing initiatives here,” said Ascención.
The official emphasized that this road will stimulate the development of plazas, restaurants, fast food outlets, new supermarkets, educational centers, hotels, industrial centers, new and more modern gas stations, medical centers and laboratories, and all kinds of businesses aimed at supplying the demand that comes with the construction of thousands of homes throughout the area.”.
The Fernández Domínguez Avenue, also known as the San Isidro Highway, was inaugurated on Wednesday by President Luis Abinader, accompanied by the Minister of Public Works. The investment exceeds RD$2,454.3 million, bringing the total number of projects completed by the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) during the current administration to 303.
The official explained that initially the project was for two lanes, and it was expanded to eight, which means that the capacity was increased by four, in order to contain all the traffic that is fed along five kilometers of length, due to the dozens of housing projects that have been developed along its entire axis.
The project is designed to be useful in the future, taking into account the area's development, and to provide safety for all those using the road, both drivers and pedestrians. It includes four pedestrian bridges and four intersections with traffic lights. The road construction will help alleviate traffic congestion in the area and improve pedestrian safety, while also facilitating smoother traffic flow, according to a press release from the Ministry of Public Works.
"This important commercial artery, which previously, due to its darkness, served as a haven for criminals, will now be a road that will serve for the development of the area; it is properly illuminated and contributes to the protection of the environment," said Ascención.
President Luis Abinader presided over the inauguration. (External source).
He emphasized that the contracted work was intended for the renovation of the 8-kilometer stretch of the old San Isidro highway, from its intersection at Charles de Gaulle Avenue to Hípica Avenue.
The new road has four lanes in each direction, for a total of eight lanes, each 3.5 meters wide; it is paved throughout with 4 and 6 inches of thickness, with its respective sidewalks and curbs, a reinforced concrete dividing wall of the 'New Jersey' type, and lighting along the entire route.
In addition, a set of pedestrian crossings and the installation of seven traffic lights ensure the safety of those who must cross from one side of the road to the other.
Ascención said that the complexity of the engineering methods executed has involved the removal of large drinking water pipes, removal and relocation of huge high-voltage electricity towers, poles and replacement of wiring, expropriations and removal of fences and buildings to widen the sides, construction of an adequate drainage system, and installation of orientation, safety and warning signage for drivers and pedestrians.
He pointed out that for years the residents of the housing projects that stand out in this area, such as Pradera Tropical, Las Cayenas and Palmera Oriental, Paseo del Este, San Isidro Labrador, Filadelfia II and Amalia, among others, as well as the workers of the San Isidro free zone and businessmen of the area, had demanded the decongestion of traffic, urban and environmental sanitation and the desquatting of this important commercial artery, which due to the prevailing darkness facilitated misdeeds and antisocial behavior at night.
Francisco Javier Féliz, speaking on behalf of the community, thanked President Abinader for the project, and said that this new and modern avenue will put an end to traffic jams and accidents.
“I always trusted that the project would be completed by Public Works, and that it would be one of the most important projects carried out in this municipality,” he said.
The opening ceremony was attended by Julia Drullard, governor of the province of Santo Domingo; Senator Antonio Taveras; Milagros Ortiz Bosch, director of Government Ethics; the mayor of Santo Domingo East, Manuel Jiménez; Major General Carlos Ramón Febrillet, commander general of the Air Force; General José Francisco Ozorio, director of Digesett; Rafael Santos, director of Infotep, among others.
