Santiago.- Along the Gregorio Luperón tourist highway’s 48 kilometers landslide damages have forced major repairs at 21 key points, for which experts have proposed a new trace for the Santiago-Puerto Plata route.
Public Works Ministry contractors currently rebuild sidewalks and gutters at three points where the downpours of the last few weeks have unleashed new landslides.
Since it was built RD$250 million has been spent just in occasional repairs.
A 2005 census found that 200 families who live along its route will have to be evicted and relocated prior to its reconstruction after which some experts say ecological tourism will be possible in the zone
The geologist Orlando Franco says a new trace is needed and noted that it crosses the Northern mountain range, the country’s highest seismic risk zone.
“The traces done are obsolete, there’s a lack of continuous maintenance aside from a lack of the indispensable drainages, which is the secret to maintaining any type of roadway,” Orlando said, quoted by elcaribe.com.do.
Written by: whipmeco, 24 May 2012 9:38 AM
From: United States, Colorado
would it be possible for the translators of this site to have a better grasp of the english language?
How about this for a headline: "Experts say that the Santiago-Puerto Plata road should be re-routed"?
Then state that the current route was poorly planned to begin with.
Also, once again, make sure that when planning the new route be sure to take an additional 50 feet on either side of the new road to as a right-of-way to prevent people from building right on the highway. This will prevent errosion problems along the route as well as provide a safety barrier for both vehicles and people.
Written by: Atabey, 24 May 2012 9:58 AM
From: United States, NYC
whipmeco,
Logical and sensible requests. Let us hope they follow it.
Written by: EDITOR, 24 May 2012 10:55 AM
From: Dominican Republic
Thank you whipmeco, "trace" is a term in common use by city planners as synonym of draw...
Written by: RonEvane 
, 24 May 2012 10:55 AM
From: United States, Gaithersburg, Maryland
" for which experts have proposed a new trace for the Santiago-Puerto Plata route. "
How does the word "trace" apply to this report? Do you mean a segment or a stretch of the road?
Trace: pinch, fragment, relic, remnant.
Build a four-lane highway, while you're at it. Two lanes doesn't cut it, anymore.
From: Dominican Republic, Cabarete
whipmeco,
a right of way is a very good idea, unfortunately, it won't be respected. people will still build against the road as they always do. just setting the road 50-100 feet back from the edge of some of those cliff edges would be nice. I love the views on that road, but won't drive it at all. in places, the north bound lane is completely gone, and part of the south bound as well.
It would be suicide to drive at night.
Written by: whipmeco, 24 May 2012 11:14 AM
From: United States, Colorado
to editor,
Please remember that persons reading these articles are not always up to speed on techie talk. This is not meant as a criticism, but more of a desire to have everyone understand the article. While I appreciate learning new words, dropping them in articles can be confusing, if the person reading them has no frame of reference with which to understand them. FYI.
Thanks!!
Written by: DomRat, 24 May 2012 11:36 AM
From: Dominican Republic
Well Maintained Drains.....Well it sounds to me like there is a difference of opinions as to wheather this will be a alternate route highway to Santiago or a winding slow paced tourist highway with some light traffic. As it stands now and has for a long time anything larger than a car, jeepeta or pickup needs a special permit to use the road - and presumably a good reason. A four lane road way is impractical, Set back from 'cliff' edges also a great idea but impractical. Good road bed with well maintained drains an absolute necessity for any highway for long road way life. This route has been bandaided together to a long time in the poorest fashion, purhaps not done economically but cheaply, clay fill rather than caliche. There was some good work done from the Santiago end a year or two back that was a good start.
From: United States, NJ
How about tunneling in addition to what Nr RonEvane mentioned above.?
To EDITOR "trace" is used prior to drawing or blue print used in the engineering field. Once all the
Trace is done engineer calculation completed then construction start .Trace is an old Spanish
terminology that is not the synonym for blue prints. So let the city planners come up toays'standrd.
I believe tunneling at the long run is cheaper than snaking a mountain that no matter what , it is
going to create landslide no matter how much money is pour into it, You have the tunnel boering
machine building the METRO ,so why not use it ? That doesn't mean they are going to tunnel all
the way from Santiago to Puerto Plata. Only at LA Cumbre Altamira where the old Belgian tunnel
exist and make it into a 4 lane tunnel. Same at the approach to PTO PTA. Let the Brazilian tackle
this since they are more experience than the local.
Written by: RonEvane , 24 May 2012 12:04 PM
From: United States, Gaithersburg, Maryland
Well-said, and totally agreed with your proposal, Mr. Thelmo.
From: United States
This is indeed an interesting (and scary at times) road. We went over it last summer up to Sosua. I winced and shut my eyes on a few of the curves, and massaged my banged up head and neck after a few of the larger bumps in this road. Reconstruction is needed badly.
Written by: Escott, 24 May 2012 11:36 PM
From: Dominican Republic, Cabrera and Sosua a 2 days a month for payday
Dear Editor,
Trace is not a common term used by planners in the US. I can't talk about England but certainly not the US. I have been to HUNDREDS of planning board meetings in MANY cities and have never heard that term.
Written by: whipmeco, 24 May 2012 11:45 PM
From: United States, Colorado
Escott and Editors:
I have often wondered why this site tries to use terms and phrases that don't seem to fit the translation. I think it is great to use terms if the audience you are addressing is familiar with the them. But more often than not, it goes right over the heads of the people who are reading the article.
Stick to simpler words, they can be just as effective.
Thanks
Written by: RonEvane , 25 May 2012 12:21 PM
From: United States, Gaithersburg, Maryland
The word does not convey the meaning for which it was intended.
Me thinks the editor might have tried to translate Spanish "tramo", which means "segment", into "trace" , which doesn't.
Anyway, glad to know the govt continues it's accelerated progression toward better modes of transport and commerce....It's the only way to go. No doubt in my mind, not even a trace.
From: Dominican Republic
its true the road has gotten worse.big holes and craters once u pass the tunnel going to pp both ways.hey ohhvictoria call ur boy leonardo de caprio fernadez and tell him to fix that stretch of road please.i know u have him a speed dial hahaha lol.
From: United States, NJ
jojosnogood:
This again is an idication of negligence in the gvt's part and re-affirmed my previous statement on
the next comment on the population explotion.Where the pie has not beenn cut equitatively and
the rest of the provinces have been neglected. When you centralize all the revenue in SD, DR this
is what you get. Had the money been shared 60-40 the result would had been diferent . As a
personal comment most of the Dominicans refer to DR as Santo Domingo, as do many other
nations which is wrong. That held true in Trujillo's days, where the name was changed by him
to Ciudad Trujillo but it came back to the original name Santo Domingo de Guzman.Same applied
to Stalingrad Russia from Saint Petersburg and went back to its original name
Written by: DomRat, 29 May 2012 8:36 PM
From: Dominican Republic
Thelmo and Ron Evane, others - Are we all on the same page? This article deals with the Gregorio Luperón tourist highway - also known as 'the routa touristica'. The road refered to in the article leads from the junction located between Star Hills and Montellano known as Grande Parada to Camu hence Tubagua - Yasica - on to La Cumbre (of which there are many) where the Coffee Institute maintain a research and education station hence on down to Gurabo and then Santiago. This is NOT the Navaratte - Puerto Plata highway that also so badly needs work. There are many thousands of people that wholly depend on this route,,who live along access roads leading to this highway, the little town of Pedro Garcia comes to mind. The 200 families must be the tally of persons who will need to move their homes from the edge of the right of way for expansion of road bed.
From: United States, NJ
DomRat:
We are all on the same RF .When it comes to national interest and what good for every one in the
nation's benefitt, some one has to make some sacrifice.Am sure the gvt will relocate if not
compesate for their land.I agree in order to do some major work in the (cordillera septentrional) it
will take big effort from the gvt ,but it has to be done for generations to come,that is if they want to
open up the Cibao region fpr export once the megaport getts build.
Look at it this way from my point of view it is as important to re-open commerce with EU as well
as Canada, USA and Central America as it is the Metro, since that will bring healthy economy to
El Cibao region via Pto Pta and if they want to be competitive with Central America. Don't forget
Pto Pta is closer to the forementioned places by a good day if not more as if they went via Sto Dgo.
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How about this for a headline: "Experts say that the Santiago-Puerto Plata road should be re-routed"?
Then state that the current route was poorly planned to begin with.
Also, once again, make sure that when planning the new route be sure to take an additional 50 feet on either side of the new road to as a right-of-way to prevent people from building right on the highway. This will prevent errosion problems along the route as well as provide a safety barrier for both vehicles and people.
Logical and sensible requests. Let us hope they follow it.
" for which experts have proposed a new trace for the Santiago-Puerto Plata route. "
How does the word "trace" apply to this report? Do you mean a segment or a stretch of the road?
Trace: pinch, fragment, relic, remnant.
Build a four-lane highway, while you're at it. Two lanes doesn't cut it, anymore.
a right of way is a very good idea, unfortunately, it won't be respected. people will still build against the road as they always do. just setting the road 50-100 feet back from the edge of some of those cliff edges would be nice. I love the views on that road, but won't drive it at all. in places, the north bound lane is completely gone, and part of the south bound as well.
It would be suicide to drive at night.
Please remember that persons reading these articles are not always up to speed on techie talk. This is not meant as a criticism, but more of a desire to have everyone understand the article. While I appreciate learning new words, dropping them in articles can be confusing, if the person reading them has no frame of reference with which to understand them. FYI.
Thanks!!
To EDITOR "trace" is used prior to drawing or blue print used in the engineering field. Once all the
Trace is done engineer calculation completed then construction start .Trace is an old Spanish
terminology that is not the synonym for blue prints. So let the city planners come up toays'standrd.
I believe tunneling at the long run is cheaper than snaking a mountain that no matter what , it is
going to create landslide no matter how much money is pour into it, You have the tunnel boering
machine building the METRO ,so why not use it ? That doesn't mean they are going to tunnel all
the way from Santiago to Puerto Plata. Only at LA Cumbre Altamira where the old Belgian tunnel
exist and make it into a 4 lane tunnel. Same at the approach to PTO PTA. Let the Brazilian tackle
this since they are more experience than the local.
Well-said, and totally agreed with your proposal, Mr. Thelmo.
Trace is not a common term used by planners in the US. I can't talk about England but certainly not the US. I have been to HUNDREDS of planning board meetings in MANY cities and have never heard that term.
I have often wondered why this site tries to use terms and phrases that don't seem to fit the translation. I think it is great to use terms if the audience you are addressing is familiar with the them. But more often than not, it goes right over the heads of the people who are reading the article.
Stick to simpler words, they can be just as effective.
Thanks
The word does not convey the meaning for which it was intended.
Me thinks the editor might have tried to translate Spanish "tramo", which means "segment", into "trace" , which doesn't.
Anyway, glad to know the govt continues it's accelerated progression toward better modes of transport and commerce....It's the only way to go. No doubt in my mind, not even a trace.
This again is an idication of negligence in the gvt's part and re-affirmed my previous statement on
the next comment on the population explotion.Where the pie has not beenn cut equitatively and
the rest of the provinces have been neglected. When you centralize all the revenue in SD, DR this
is what you get. Had the money been shared 60-40 the result would had been diferent . As a
personal comment most of the Dominicans refer to DR as Santo Domingo, as do many other
nations which is wrong. That held true in Trujillo's days, where the name was changed by him
to Ciudad Trujillo but it came back to the original name Santo Domingo de Guzman.Same applied
to Stalingrad Russia from Saint Petersburg and went back to its original name
We are all on the same RF .When it comes to national interest and what good for every one in the
nation's benefitt, some one has to make some sacrifice.Am sure the gvt will relocate if not
compesate for their land.I agree in order to do some major work in the (cordillera septentrional) it
will take big effort from the gvt ,but it has to be done for generations to come,that is if they want to
open up the Cibao region fpr export once the megaport getts build.
Look at it this way from my point of view it is as important to re-open commerce with EU as well
as Canada, USA and Central America as it is the Metro, since that will bring healthy economy to
El Cibao region via Pto Pta and if they want to be competitive with Central America. Don't forget
Pto Pta is closer to the forementioned places by a good day if not more as if they went via Sto Dgo.