Santo Domingo.-Vehicle traffic jams are increasing less than a week before the celebration of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, respectively, exacerbating people’s mood and causing hundreds of motorists to violate the rules by going through tunnels, overpasses and other prohibited areas.
As if it were an obligatory appointment, the majority of people go out in a “crazy caravan” to manage services, purchase goods and in other cases to meet again with work groups in different metropolitan areas, which causes long and annoying lines of cars and buses everywhere.
Journeys that can be traveled in 15, 20 or 30 minutes today take up to more than an hour and a half, which translates into loss of time and fuel.
“This is unbearable, I’ve been in this blessed stop for more than an hour, I can’t imagine I won’t get out,” commented Domingo Hilario, driver of a taxi unit, who described the issue as unmanageable.
The situation becomes more difficult for drivers who lack an air conditioning system, who are forced to inhale carbon monoxide, specifically in sections such as the 27 de Febrero tunnel.
Among the most congested avenues are 27 de Febrero, Winston Chulchil, John F. Kennedy, Luperón and Duarte Avenue, as they are the arteries with the greatest commercial flow and where people usually shop for clothes and food during the Christmas festivities.
Commercial environments and areas where collection centers operate, such as the markets on Duarte Avenue, Cristo Rey, and Villa Consuelo, also remain congested.
The presence of the agents of the General Directorate of Security, Traffic and Land Transportation seems timid and insufficient for the road chaos. The special measures to regulate the circulation of vehicles have been limited to prohibiting the circulation of cargo vehicles during the Christmas 2025 and New Year 2026 holidays.
They will be valid from Tuesday, December 23, 2025, at 6:00 am, until Friday the 26th, at 5:00 am and Tuesday, December 30, 2025, at 6:00 in the morning, until Friday, January 2, 2026, at 5:00 am
road safety
— Ambulance management
In the face of road chaos, safety and access for emergency and relief vehicles become a challenge. Logically, this delay puts the lives of patients and those who are stranded at risk.
