Dominican Republic Plans Three New Duarte Highway Overpasses

The Dominican government is moving ahead with plans for three new overpasses on the Duarte Highway, a major road corridor connecting Santo Domingo with cities and communities across the country’s northern region. The projects are intended to remove traffic-light interruptions and allow vehicles to move more continuously along the route.

The announcement was made Monday during the second edition of La Agenda Semanal, during a public conversation involving President Luis Abinader and Public Works Minister Eduardo Estrella. Estrella said one of the three projects has already been awarded, a second is undergoing the award process, and the third was put out to tender through RD Vial, the government trust responsible for key road infrastructure and toll-road projects.

Three Projects Target Traffic Bottlenecks

President Abinader highlighted the potential effect on motorists traveling from Santo Domingo toward the Cibao. The new structures are expected to allow through traffic to bypass intersections where vehicles currently face delays caused by traffic signals.

For drivers using the Duarte Highway as a connection between the capital and the country’s northern cities, reducing stops at major intersections could make journeys more continuous. The government has presented the projects as part of a broader effort to address congestion at the main entrances and exits of Greater Santo Domingo.

That wider program includes interventions at Plaza de la Bandera, Isabel Aguiar Avenue and Ecological Avenue, among other locations where traffic volumes have created recurring bottlenecks. The projects are being developed alongside other road improvements intended to strengthen connections between the capital and the rest of the country.

Hundreds of Kilometers of Roads Under Construction

Estrella said the Ministry of Public Works currently has 957 kilometers of roads under construction, while another 141 kilometers are expected to be delivered over the next three months. The figures place the Duarte Highway projects within a much larger road-building and rehabilitation program.

The government is also pursuing or planning bypass roads in Navarrete, Los Alcarrizos, Moca, San Francisco de Macorís and La Otra Banda. Such projects are designed to improve connectivity while reducing the amount of traffic passing through congested urban areas.

Another planned intervention involves the current floating bridge over the Ozama River in Santo Domingo. Authorities are considering replacing it with a bascule bridge, a movable structure that can be raised to allow vessels to pass beneath it.

Focus on Greater Santo Domingo Connectivity

The combination of overpasses, bypass roads and bridge projects reflects an effort to improve the movement of vehicles both within the capital and between Santo Domingo and other regions. The Duarte Highway is particularly important because it serves as a principal land connection between the capital and the Cibao, one of the Dominican Republic’s main population and economic areas.

For residents and businesses that depend on regular road travel, fewer interruptions at major intersections could reduce delays along heavily used corridors. The government has not provided in the announcement a detailed completion schedule for each of the three Duarte Highway overpasses, leaving the timing of the individual projects dependent on their respective contracting and construction processes.