The works will be carried out with funds from the new government agreement with Aerodom.
SANTO DOMINGO.- The Minister of Public Works and Communications, Deligne Ascención, announced this Thursday the start of work on a series of projects that will expedite vehicular traffic in the southwest area of the capital and that includes Luperón Avenue, Isabel Aguiar Avenue, the extension of 27 de Febrero Avenue, as well as the entrance to the city from the south, through the 6 de Noviembre highway.
Ascención explained that the works will be carried out with funds from the agreement that the Government made with the firm Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI (Aerodom), for the benefit of the communities of Greater Santo Domingo and other regions of the country.
“Today is a day of celebration, because work will begin on solving one of the most critical points in Santo Domingo, with the traffic jams and problems that occur on Isabel Aguiar with 27 de Febrero and around Plaza de la Bandera (Luperón with 27 de Febrero),” he said.
The works to be carried out consist of a tunnel in Plaza de la Bandera, approximately 1.02 kilometers long, with two lanes in each direction, each 3.65 meters wide, running north-south. In addition, the project includes the rehabilitation of the access roads, drainage systems, road signage, and complementary works such as safety barriers, among others, according to a press release.
The document explains that an overpass or trench will be built on Isabel Aguiar Avenue, with the aim of improving the flow of traffic on 27 de Febrero Avenue (between the National District, Santo Domingo Oeste and the 6 de Noviembre Highway), located in the Herrera Industrial Zone.
The official said the project consists of a reinforced concrete underpass, 480 meters long, made up of three sections, with a total width of 15 meters, and two lanes in each direction, approximately 3.65 meters wide each, separated by Jersey barriers. This roadway allows for the express flow of vehicles without having to stop at traffic lights.
The 6 de Noviembre interchange will modify the existing ramps, creating three additional ramps. Two of these, with two 3.65-meter lanes each, will serve as operational U-turns for both directions of Prolongación 27 de Febrero.
The third ramp will have three lanes of 3.65 meters each and will serve as a marginal road of the extension of 27 de Febrero.
The operational return of the 27 de Febrero extension will have five lanes in an east-west direction, two for U-turns and three lanes for those who will continue in that direction.
“These works have been preceded by traffic studies or traffic simulations, which will allow for a better level of service,” Ascención said.
He added that the bulk of the work will be carried out during the night and early morning hours, so as not to interfere with traffic and to minimize its impact.
“We have taken all preventive measures and will continue to advise people traveling on these roads to plan alternative routes,” he explained.
He explained that these works are connected to Pedernales, saying, “This is the exit to the South, and if we aspire to reduce travel time to Pedernales, this is where the most time is lost. This is part of the master plan that the Dominican government is implementing in the southwest of the country.”.
For his part, Onéximo González, advisor to the Minister of Public Works and Communications (MOPC), explained that the project has been thoroughly studied, and that surveys and traffic counts were carried out.
“Nothing here is improvised; there is a traffic management plan. Currently, on Isabel Aguiar Avenue, from April to September, complementary works will be carried out to help expedite traffic. Then, in September, construction work will begin on the underpass beneath Plaza de la Bandera, where a tunnel boring machine will be used that will not affect traffic flow,” he stated.
Minister Ascención was accompanied by Vice Minister Roberto Herrera, of Supervision and Oversight; Elías Santana, of Road Infrastructure; and Ángel Tejeda, of Planning and Technical Regulation, as well as General Rafael Vásquez Espínola, director of the Military and Police Commission (Comipol), among others.
