Santo Domingo.- The Governing Board named to oversee the works in the Central Mountain municipality Constanza will install an outsourced toll in the Casabito highway in coordination with the Public Works Ministry, for the route’s safety and maintenance.
It also works to install a security corridor, with eight military and six Police agents to patrol the highway’s 51 kilometers with motorcycles and radios, to be subsidized, at first, with donations by Constanza business leaders in coordination with the Armed Forces.
The Governing Board has sought advice from the company which runs the toll on the Santo Domingo-Samaná road, headed by Amín Acuña, which conducts the feasibility studies aimed at establishing the cost versus the income.
However Governing Board president Angel Vinicio Quezada, quoted by news source elcaribe.com.do, said a meeting with Public Works minister Victor Diaz this week seeks to clarify some aspects of Decree 342-10, which establishes the maintenance of works in Constanza.
The initiative is being materialized through Public Works, to establish a source which guarantees the highway’s maintenance and safety, supported by the zone’s business leaders and citizens who want to develop adventure and mountain tourism, Quezada said.
Written by: telemeco, 7 Dec 2010 8:49 AM
From: Dominican Republic, Monte Plata
Jesus. i bet the toll is going to be cheap right!!! ( evil laught in the background)
My brother in law told me...Who ever came out with the idea or building the samana highway must be French....cause he say, in France every 40 km they have a toll...You country is being invade by the French...(he is italian)
Written by: matador, 7 Dec 2010 9:13 AM
From: United States, www.brugal-ron.com/home.php
I just hope they will really use the money collected for safety and maintenance. and not to pocket it and buy Brugal with it.
Written by: juanb, 7 Dec 2010 10:45 AM
From: Dominican Republic
Are these are the same geniuses that put a toll booth up on Autopista Duarte, right outside of La Vega, and never used it? Finally a truck used it for target practice and blew up half of it.
Or are these the geniuses that allowed a company to build a toll road (sorry I don't recall where) and they only put up the toll and never finised the road?
Why would a toll be outsourced? Probably because it is easier for those involved to receive a kickback.
From: United States, FREEPORT, Long Island.... (Look, beyond the words)
Can the Dominican Republic do SHIT on its own. Why is the govenrment always farming-out work needed in the country, how hard is it to have ONE person supervising the toll booth clerks and coordinate the safety of a highway thats only 51 Kilometers. So much money spent on highways and no one thought of a D.O.T and use of the military, should be a wash, why employe the military if they have to be taken care of ($$$) to do security. This is why military officers can be bought. Lets farm-out the countries military to the Haitians, I'm sure they will keep the dominicans in-CHECK.
This is not news, this is out there to ridicule dominicans and to exemplify the inability of the government to do its JOB of managing the country.
Written by: Atabey, 7 Dec 2010 11:34 AM
From: United States, NYC
All your criticisms have some truths to them, but user fees are in fact an acceptable and practical devise to use in this case. Roads need to be maintained and its real hard not to think that those who would use them should not be the ones who pay the bulk for their maintenance. Of course, it would be great IF the government as a pre-condition to building these roads actually integrate Toll-booths as part of the design! How difficult could this actually be? Again, another example of poor organization and thought out plans. We can also use the collection of fees as an incentive for companies to invest in their construction and maintenance. It so doing, the DR could actually get more private investments into the country and move its resources to less remunerative areas where the externalities are such that finding private sources of investments are far harder to come by.
From: United States, FREEPORT, Long Island.... (Look, beyond the words)
"another example of poor organization and thought out plans".....falls in the category of "No Education" or the lack of special studies.
Written by: matador, 7 Dec 2010 12:19 PM
From: United States, www.brugal-ron.com/home.php
RobertoJose thats why DR need the 4% Education increase.
Written by: Escott, 7 Dec 2010 4:25 PM
From: Dominican Republic, Cabrera and Sosua a 2 days a month for payday
No, that is why the DR needs a 100% Education Increase...
But we have a Metro!
Written by: lovingit, 7 Dec 2010 7:15 PM
From: United States, Delaware
Yeah, the Samana Highway is like the Garden State Parkway in NJ. Too many tolls for one highway. Just put one toll per entrance, charge a bit more if need be save on having to pay people's salaries and toll maintenance on those extra 2-3 tolls.
Written by: antonio1, 7 Dec 2010 8:09 PM
From: Dominican Republic, Av Santa Rosa, La Romana
If you can pay the $$ to ride the 170k Samana Highway, do-it, is the most beautiful landscape in the country, especially went you enter the Haitises//
Written by: Sajomero, 8 Dec 2010 2:26 AM
From: United States, Del primer Santiago de America....y el mejor!!!
You can actually see that cement terrace when you are driving on the Autopista Duarte before Bonao, pretty impresive work there. This toll idea might work, but it will all depend on how its managed and by whom...Besto of luck Constanza...
Written by: Rainman, 20 Dec 2010 1:14 PM
From: United States
The concept of a toll to cover the expenses of a highway is not only an old concept but one that makes sense.
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My brother in law told me...Who ever came out with the idea or building the samana highway must be French....cause he say, in France every 40 km they have a toll...You country is being invade by the French...(he is italian)
Are these are the same geniuses that put a toll booth up on Autopista Duarte, right outside of La Vega, and never used it? Finally a truck used it for target practice and blew up half of it.
Or are these the geniuses that allowed a company to build a toll road (sorry I don't recall where) and they only put up the toll and never finised the road?
Why would a toll be outsourced? Probably because it is easier for those involved to receive a kickback.
This is not news, this is out there to ridicule dominicans and to exemplify the inability of the government to do its JOB of managing the country.
But we have a Metro!