A full closure of Suriname’s Domineestraat, which kicked off in early August, has immediately triggered severe traffic congestion and widespread disruption across the capital’s inner city. Motorists have been forced to divert onto smaller alternate routes, which quickly became gridlocked at multiple points as traffic volumes overwhelmed the alternate road network.
The closure, which affects the stretch of Domineestraat between Neumanpad and Steenbakkerijstraat, is scheduled to remain in place through September 3, as part of a large-scale street rehabilitation project overseen by Suriname’s Ministry of Public Works and Spatial Planning (OWRO). Civil construction firm Tjongalanga NV has been contracted to carry out the entire upgrade work. While the full rehabilitation project is set to run through December, this specific section of Domineestraat will remain completely closed to all vehicle traffic for a full 30 days to speed up construction.
In a statement shared via Suriname’s Communication Service, Rianto Wongsoredjo, a representative of Tjongalanga NV, explained that the decision for a full closure was intentional. The entire existing roadway is being demolished to allow for complete replacement of both the road foundation and the underground drainage system. “We are tearing out the entire old road,” Wongsoredjo outlined. “After that, we will build a new foundation using clinkersand and base course, before laying two fresh layers of asphalt.”
As part of the upgrade, new drainage pipes will be installed along both sides of the street, while the aging concrete main drain that currently runs down the center of the road will be fully removed and replaced. The project also includes renovation of the inspection manhole at the intersection of Jodenbreestraat and Domineestraat, alongside the replacement of all street gullies and the re-paving of the road shoulders.
The construction team has encountered unforeseen challenges since work began, Wongsoredjo confirmed. Utility cables and pipelines owned by local public service providers run through the road shoulders at multiple points, requiring careful planning to avoid damage during excavation. Additionally, workers found a layer of clay embedded in the original road foundation. “This clay layer has to be completely removed, because it can cause the road to sink under heavy traffic over time,” Wongsoredjo said. Despite these extra hurdles, he remains confident the project will be completed within the original scheduled timeline.
The contractor ruled out shifting major work to evening and overnight hours as a solution to reduce daytime disruption. Because the main concrete drainage pipe runs directly under the full width of the existing road surface, the entire street must be excavated, leaving it impassable during daytime work even if construction is spread across different shifts. Tjongalanga NV is working closely with three major local utility providers – water company SWM, power firm EBS, and telecommunications provider Telesur – to coordinate work around existing infrastructure and avoid service outages for local residents and businesses.
The Domineestraat rehabilitation is part of a wider national road infrastructure upgrade program across Suriname. Two inner city streets, Watermolenstraat and Van Idsingastraat, have already been completed under the program, with upgrades to Schmeltzweg and the left section of Tout Lui Fautkanaalweg scheduled to follow after the Domineestraat work concludes.