The enabling of 14 lanes in it kilometer 9 of the Duarte Highway Since this Monday he has not avoided the usual and long plug at the entrance to the city during the early hours of the morning, but after 9:00 the improvement in traffic flow was noticeable.
Residents in Santo Domingo WestThe Alcarrizos and drivers from Pedro Brand, Villa Altagracia and other parts of the northern region expressed that they hoped that the transit It was better, however, for some like Tamara Mejia, the situation was worse than before the jobs.
“That was a disaster today, I don’t understand the reason, but it was twice as long, it took me two hours to get there,” he explained, while Carmen Jiménez said that it was a chaos: “That was a chaoshorrible, I normally took like 40 minutes to get to my job and I lasted about an hour and 15 minutes,” he said.
From 9:30 in the morning the situation changed completely, in the stretch of greatest pluggingin front of the María Montez station Santo Domingo Metrothe traffic was smooth, without the usual traffic jam vehicles.
The 14 lanes They were skilled, six of them expresses that connect with the high and the remaining eight in the transit premises with four lanes on both sides.
Drivers interviewed after 10:00 in the morning at various points in Duarte Highway They considered that the transit had improved by 60 to 70% by that time: “It’s improved a little, here there was plugs “Incredible, I see it with more fluidity, before yesterday it was worse, it is much better, there is more fluidity,” said Gregorio Gil.
While Wilfredo Santana considered that everything remains the same, with a minimum percentage of improvement that is not a solution to the problem of the kilometer 9. Meanwhile, Fernando Merán, who came from Los Alcarrizos, considered that there was an improvement in the transit of 80%.
Darío Rodríguez also considered that the improvement was 80% in relation to last week’s vehicular circulation, on the other hand Francisco Santana said that it is not enough for the Ministry of Public works have good intentions to face the plugs.
“There is an improvement, but it is not the solution, the bottleneck continues to form, we must continue working. The government has to take into account, even if it hurts whoever it hurts, that the import of vehicles because we have the same road,” he said.
The intervention
For the Government the extension at 14 lanes the section of the kilometer 9 on Luperón Avenue was the solution to the flow of vehicles entering and leaving the city on that side, estimated at about 150,000 daily.
The jobs They started in May 2022 and there was talk of a 10-month solution, however, the enabling of the 14 lanes It took two years and four months. Still to be done are the relocation of street vendors, the bus terminal, landscaping, lighting, wall construction, asphalt paving, signage and a new pedestrian bridge connecting the north and south parts.
The investment in the work exceeds 1,400 million pesos and is part of the 18,000 million that comprise the rehabilitation complete Duarte Highway from the kilometer 9 to Montecristi.
They returned the plugs at night
Between 7:00 and 8:00 at night the situation of the plugs took over the area again. Dozens of vehicles were moving slowly and with drivers uncomfortable with the situation, which for many was going to be overcome with the opening of 14 lanes on the highway.
A team of Free Newspaper He went to the area and was able to contact the large number of vehicles that were traveling slowly. The traffic jam was recorded from east to west.
