government by Wimpey " I Will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today "

That is a lot of money! OMG 48 million for a couple of overpasses??? Are you kidding me? Will the overpasses be made out of gold? Diablo

Good morning Fred.
A comment by the Lunatic.
Why are all the improvements being done in the capital? There is more to this island than Santo Domingo.

Buenoha,
the rest of the money will go for new SUV's

They will only improve where they live. They might be representatives of various places, but they all spend most of their time in the capital, wasting and stealing our money.

I had an apartment in La Trinitaria close to the monument. I was shown a beautiful apartment building very close to mine and was told when El Presidente is in Santiago, this is the building he resides. The entire first floor. I was also told he pays $9000.00 per month U.S. ........
THAT TAKES BALLS I guess he really doesn't see beyond his own needs. What an asshole.

DT love the picture, but that's the Moca overpass in Santiago...

I disagree with most of the comments so far ..firstly as a developing country we have to borrow money if we want to improve the infrastructure necessary for economic growth and secondly more than half the country.s population lives in and around the capital so it must be expected that much money will be spent there and the $48 million is not a lot of money for two large bridges.
The need to improve the infrastructure in other parts of the country is another important but separate issue as is the wastage of money by the government as a result of very poor procedures and inevitable graft . For example you may recall that the builders of the so called Coral Highway (between Bavaro and San Pedro)were changed by the minister in a period of what was called a period of emergency but which was no more than a week of high rainfall but I have seen very little progress and of course the details of the new contract have never been released ...not to my knowledge ..

i agree with ricardolito. if you want a powerful country you need to borrow some money...i hate the prd mentality! they just talk but do nothing! do something and then talk!

A young man died last week protesting asking for the roads of his neighborhood to be fixed (BTW this neighborhood city produces lots of food produce).

And they continue to spend all the money in the capital for a project that shouldn’t have any priority.
The interior provinces should start keeping their own taxes to be used as needed.

Could copy Bogota and spend the money on something useful. Bridges?
Santo Domingo could be closed to traffic on Sundays.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8102621.stm
Cycle tracks, traffic management - i.e. congestion charging, parking place taxes, better bus services are the way to go for all clites.
In some cities if you want a car you must rent a parking space - normally on the outskirts.
S.

these are not bridges but overpasses for pedestrians! There is n o reason for it to cost 48 MILLLIONS!

It would certainly benefit tourism if the present unsightly overpasses etc. were torn down, used only by buses/coaches. Alternatively used for foresty in the central area.
S.

abc200, superb, superb article. As always you get great informative articles and useful commentaries! Thanks.
You see what can be accomplished in a decade if good city and urban planning are implemented.
Yes we need more green belts, and cycling ways. The way Santo Domingo is going it would be worst than Mexico City within 15 years in terms of pollution and traffic.
Bogota though has an advantage over Santo Domingo, and that is the year around spring weather. But with great urban design we could limit the city heat island effect with the proper green belt in place.

Brazil loaning the DR 48 Million for bridges ? am I missing something here.....How the hell will it payed back.....Let me think for a moment.....Oh, I see profits if any from the Oil deal right, should of known better I could see those gas guzzling SUV's crossing those bridges now.
WHY NOT spend the 48 M on something the Public really needs like power, at least those employed will be employed temporary.

Question: who will monitor "DA MOONEY" ? every cent of it.

And after Gov. Administrative cost [ Gov. B&%# S$@$ ] how much of the 48 M would really be spent on those Dam Bridges ?

I could see it now....A couple of brand new Bridges and a screwed-up Inter structure.

WHAM ! an idea....Why not Advertise guided Bridge tours on your next visit to the Tropical Island Paradise.

SORRY ! LOST MY MIND AND I HAVEN'T FOUND IT YET....

popon - no credit to me for article - did work for joint bbc venture - so am biased but to my mind their journlism seldom failes to reach a high standard and sometimes is extrordinary. Of course they have no shareholdrs to answer to. Somthing other countries could well follow - independent publically owned news media.
Yes - problems are different in other cities - but well designed structures and good public transport is often the answer - in Thailand for example - where central road building has stopped and main well designed farmers markets are near terminii of public transport system, Bicycle tracks can be tentered to provide shade and electric cycles now being mas produced minimise physical effort. Anyhow thanks for your comments.
S.

abc200, you're welcome.
Indeed, good transportation is the answer.

These are badly needed overpasses so you dont have to spend your entire day waiting at stop lights filled with vendors. This will make traffic smoother and traveling a lot faster throught this congested metropolis. SDQ needs a lot of improvements just to be a decent place to visit. It is also true that many highly productive areas are completly abandoned eventhough they contribute a lot to the economy...La Sierra, el Sur, la linea, etc....

abc you worked for the BBC was that the Bird Brain Company

It is a good idea to have lots of people waiting at traiffic lights etc. This way they will get pidgon brains into gear and organise their lives so they do not travel by car. A ten dollar congestion charge would also help - perhaps street vendors could be given radios and wheel clamps so persons without the right ten dollar sticker could not move. Tourism would also benefit when current overpasses etc are converted to trams / light railways / express bus only lanes.
Skytrains for Santo Domingo!
Let the train take the strain!
Thailand has similar per capita income to DR.
If Saj brought his SUV to Paris some nice activist would plaster bird-brains car windows with sticky gue and leaftets.

S.

I think your brain has taken some stain and it shows go back to Blackpool Sil Vous Plait

GC could sell green gue to activists!
http://www.amazing-thailand.com/Strain.html
And see progress!
Deflation is the answer!
http://www.terradaily.com/reports....an_Be_A_Deflating_Experience.html
SUV's, if towed out to sea could make good artifical reefs or an island where their owners could sit. They could the talk to the birds with similar size brains.
S.