Drivers traveling through Santo Domingo will need to adjust their travel plans starting this weekend, as the nation’s Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) has confirmed a planned partial shutdown of the busy Las Américas Highway, alongside its northern and southern adjacent service roads. The infrastructure work is part of a broader, ongoing initiative to upgrade and improve the region’s major road networks.
The primary task that will necessitate the closure is the dismantling of structural beams for a pedestrian overpass located at the 12-kilometer marker of the highway. This project follows a similar demolition operation completed earlier at the 10-kilometer point, as authorities systematically advance their highway improvement goals.
MOPC officials have emphasized that the shutdown will be rolled out in a gradual, phased sequence to minimize disruption to daily travel. Critical to reducing traffic chaos, the agency confirmed that one of the two service roads flanking the main highway will stay open throughout the work period, maintaining at least limited vehicle access through the active construction zone.
For motorists looking to avoid the area entirely, the Ecological Highway has been designated as an official alternate route that can accommodate diverted traffic during the operation. The entire project is scheduled as an overnight effort to limit impact on peak commuting times: it is set to kick off at 10:00 p.m. on Friday, August 21, and is expected to be completed and the roadway reopened by 6:00 a.m. the following day, Saturday, August 22.