Major works by Abinader remain on hold

Since coming to power in 2020, President Luis Abinader has promoted a series of infrastructure projects that have generated high expectations, but many remain on hold or with missed deadlines.

The Amber Highway was the Government 's calling card. Abinader debuted as head of state in the pandemic-hit 2020 and, in his inauguration speech, he announced this route that would connect Santiago with Puerto Plata in 35 minutes.

The plan is part of Punta Bergantín , a mega real estate, technological and cinematographic project that seeks to return the tourist effervescence of yesteryear to the "Bride of the Atlantic."

The last update was on May 16, 2023, when several officials announced a tender for $400 million, to be provided by the private sector through a public-private partnership. It was reported that the winner of the auction would be selected at the end of 2023 and that groundbreaking would occur in the first quarter of 2024, but this did not materialize.

In October 2022, Abinader accompanied Deligne Ascención , Minister of Public Works , to the first groundbreaking of the reconstruction of Las Damas Street, a road opened in the 1990s to connect Charles de Gaulle and Hípica avenues in Santo Domingo Este. However, when it was forgotten, it became a local road.

The project, an alternative to the Las Américas highway bypass, was part of the announced investment of 25,000 million pesos in the municipality . It would be 6,600 meters long by 10 meters wide and would benefit residents of Brisas del Este and Los Frailes.

However, the redevelopment was halted after a few months, leaving pedestrians exposed to dust during dry seasons and mud when it rains. The project does not even appear on the map of works that Public Works is carrying out in the municipality . The institution informed Diario Libre that land is still being expropriated and that, so far, 50 million pesos have been spent. The question about the total amount remained unanswered.

Less than 1.5 kilometers from where Las Damas Street ends is the reconstruction of the bridge on Avenida Hípica with Las Américas, the work on which was announced in January 2021 but began in November 2023, with the promise of finishing it in six months; however, that date expired eight months ago.

The rains of November 19, 2023, which collapsed the wall of the overpass at the intersection of 27 de Febrero and Máximo Gómez —a tragedy that left nine dead—, was what expedited the intervention of the Hípica bridge , affected by saltpeter.

The work includes widening the turn and placing metal columns. That part has been completed, but there is still work to be done on filling, paving and placing safety railings. Last Monday, Public Works reported that the delay is due to an unforeseen redesign.

Baní bypass : record number of postponements

Just as they waited for the Azua highway, which was delivered in February 2023, the southerners long for the Baní Ring Road, a 19-kilometer highway that will speed up traffic on the Sánchez highway, preventing travelers from entering the main municipality , where traffic often collapses during festive seasons.

Reviewing the press releases, this project is the one that has had the most deadlines: in 2021, 2022 and 2023, both President Abinader and Ascención gave various delivery dates. The construction exceeds 3,386 million pesos, of which 1,000 million will be allocated in 2025.

The last information on this matter was on January 9, when Ascención reported on the social network X that the work is 85% complete, that 12 of the 17 bridges have beams and that 15 of the 19 already have the first layer of asphalt.

Kilometer 9: the nightmare in the National District

The expansion of the Duarte Highway from eight to 14 lanes at kilometer 9 began in May 2022, with the intention of completing it in 10 months, but almost three years have passed and thousands of people entering and leaving the capital continue to face tedious traffic jams.

A false illusion was experienced on Sunday, September 15, 2024, when Ascención called the press to report that the 14 lanes would be opened the following Monday, generating expectations that traffic would be more fluid, but this has not been the case. Criticism was not long in coming and was accompanied by memes.

Recently, New Jersey barriers were installed to improve traffic flow, but the opposite occurred: the traffic jams extended to Isabel Aguiar and Monumental avenues. This led Public Works to order the removal of the barriers, stating that the contractor placed them without prior consultation.

The works will now be under the responsibility of the new head of Public Works , Eduardo Estrella , who will take office on February 26, replacing Ascención , who boasts of having completed 587 works since 2020; however, few works were delivered on the dates he himself assigned.

Paseo del Río Avenue was supposed to be ready in 2023

It is not only Ascención who has failed to meet deadlines. President Abinader himself and other heads of public works have failed to meet deadlines.

The first phase of Paseo del Río Avenue was delivered in December 2021 by Abinader and the heads of the Executive Unit for the Redevelopment of Neighborhoods & Environments ( URBE ). Parks, playgrounds, courts and shops were built on the 2,700-meter stretch, improving the quality of life of thousands of residents in La Ciénaga and Los Guandules.

The project is part of the Domingo Savio plan, initiated in 2017 by Danilo Medina. The second phase includes a small tunnel that connects to Avenida del Puerto, which has already been completed.

The third phase, which will link Respaldo 17 street with the Francisco del Rosario Sánchez bridge , was to be ready by the end of 2023, according to Lisandro Macarrulla, former Minister of the Presidency. All that remains is to pave the section and demolish some houses, but there is currently no machinery on site.

https://resources.diariolibre.com/images/2025/02/26/imagen-estacion-tren-23f960cc.jpg

TOPICS -