On May 16, 2026, Haitian officials gathered to mark the official kickoff of a major infrastructure overhaul for departmental road RD205, a critical transport artery linking the southern coastal city of Les Cayes to the commune of Torbeck. The launch ceremony was led by Joseph Almathe Pierre Louis, Haiti’s Minister of Public Works, and attended by the country’s tourism minister, agriculture minister, and senior local leaders from both Les Cayes and Torbeck.
For communities across Haiti’s Greater South region, this launch represents the long-awaited start of a project that promises to transform regional connectivity. Stretching far beyond the initial Les Cayes-Torbeck segment, RD205 functions as a primary strategic corridor that connects 12 separate communities along the southern coast, including Chantal, Arniquet, Saint-Jean-du-Sud, Port-Salut, Coteaux, Chardonnières, Roche-à-Bateau, Port-à-Piment, Les Anglais, and Les Irois.
For years, the existing roadway has fallen into severe disrepair, creating daily crises for everyone who relies on it. The degraded surface generates thick, suffocating dust that plagues nearby residents and creates hazardous driving conditions, while constant potholes and uneven pavement cause persistent travel disruptions for daily commuters, commercial transporters, and small-scale agricultural producers who depend on the road to get their goods to market. Government planners have framed the rehabilitation project as a urgent intervention to unlock economic opportunity and improve access to services for the entire isolated southern region. In a complementary announcement aligned with the government’s broader connectivity goals, the Ministry of Public Works also revealed that feasibility and planning studies are already underway to extend the full rehabilitation work all the way to Port-Salut.
The entire project is backed by funding from the World Bank, with engineering plans specifically adapted to address the unique challenges of the region’s wetland terrain and variable tropical climate. After assessing local hydrogeological constraints, technical project teams selected hydraulic concrete as the primary construction material, a choice that delivers long-term durability and resilience against frequent heavy rain and flooding. The completed modern roadway will feature two 3.5-meter-wide travel lanes, graded shoulders ranging from 1 to 1.5 meters along both edges, and a fully upgraded longitudinal drainage system reinforced with dedicated hydraulic crossing structures to improve water runoff and reduce flood-related damage.
On-site construction is scheduled to begin this week, with an estimated total timeline of 10 months to complete the initial segment. Recognizing that construction activity will inevitably cause temporary travel disruptions for local residents and through traffic, the Ministry of Public Works has issued a public call for patience and understanding from the community. The ministry is also coordinating with the Haitian National Police (PNH) to provide on-site security and manage traffic rerouting during the construction period.