Santo Domingo – This Sunday, April 6, the new toll station located at kilometer 32 of the Duarte Highway will start operating, with the payment of 100 pesos at the entrance and exit to Santo Domingo.
This event marks the culmination of a project announced at the end of December 2021 by Andrés Van der Horst Álvarez, general manager of Fiduciaria Reservas, which manages the RD Vial Trust, according to newspaper archives.
The initial promise to relocate and modernize the toll, historically located at kilometer 25 and inaugurated in 1999, sought, according to what he said during an interview with the radio program El Sol de la Mañana (106.5 FM), to improve the service and, fundamentally, alleviate the economic burden for the residents of Pedro Brand.
From its conception, the relocation to kilometer 32 was presented as a direct response to a historical claim of the community of Pedro Brand, which until then was forced to pay tolls even for journeys within its municipality. This was the cornerstone of the project’s justification, promising an economic respite for the area’s inhabitants.
During a visit to Pedro Brand, the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader promised to move the toll from kilometer 25.
“This year I hope to leave resolved to change the toll to kilometer 32”, said the president to the applause of a crowd of residents in Pedro Brand (2022).
Parallel to the change of location, an integral transformation of the toll station was announced.
The initial vision Van der Horst Alvarez explained included a significant expansion of lanes to combat traffic congestion, a recurring problem at the old location. There was talk of implementing state-of-the-art technology, such as informative LED screens and a “Fast Pass” system based on laser technology, to replace traditional antennas and speed up traffic.
The promise was clear: a more modern, efficient, and unburdened toll plaza capable of handling the high volume of traffic that characterizes the Duarte Highway. This initiative was emphasized in a broader plan to modernize the toll infrastructure nationwide.
Also, the then-mayor of Pedro Brand, Wilson Paniagua, promised to resolve the situation after taking office.
In the months and years that followed, the project details were finalized. In July 2024, Deligne Ascención, Minister of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) at that time, referred to the issue indicating that he was working hard on the completion of the new toll road “with 22 lanes, 11 in each direction, so that there would be no traffic jams, and that the vehicles could pass through more quickly”.
Ascención According to Listin Diario archives, Ascención reaffirmed the construction of the new, more modern, efficient, and unburdened toll station, capable of handling the high volume of traffic that daily uses the Duarte Highway, estimated at more than 150,000 vehicles, by September 2024.
He said the design also incorporated complementary infrastructure crucial to functionality and safety, such as strategically located turnarounds before and after the toll booth, a heliport for emergencies, and administrative offices for operational management. The overriding objective remained to streamline vehicular flow, reduce waiting times, and ultimately improve the experience of the thousands of daily users of the toll road.
He stated that the cost of the new toll was within the budget for the remodeling of the Duarte highway, which exceeds 15 billion pesos.
With the start-up, announced for this Sunday, nearing, a controversial element has arisen: the new charging scheme.
It was reported that the fee for light vehicles will be RD$100 for each direction, which means a total cost of RD$200 for those traveling there and back.
This element was mentioned in a newspaper article published in the national media in September 2024 when former Minister Ascensión announced it.
However, Thursday’s announcement of the operation of the toll and payment has provoked a division of opinions.
The controversy has reached the Legislative Branch, with the present Branch initiative in the Chamber of Deputies requesting the Executive Branch to reconsider the two-way charge, considering it a measure detrimental to the economy of thousands of citizens. The proponent and author is Deputy Nelson Saulo Vega, representative of the province of San Cristóbal for the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD).