Protesters say the authorities made their road worse

La Vega, Dominican Republic.- Inhabitants of the town La Torre yesterday protested to demand the completion of repairs of their main street whose pot holes and cracks have made it dangerous for motorists, while the dust raised poses a threat to their health.

The protesters dug trenches, torched tires and hurled branches to block transit and warned that if the authorities ignore their demands, their actions will be staged indefinitely.

The demonstration which began early Monday morning prompted the arrival of a Police contingent which tried to disperse the protesters, including community leader Adalgisa Núñez, who said the town’s mayor had ordered the repairs two months before the elections but the work has since been halted as the road’s condition worsens.

“The highway wasn’t in its best shape but the removal of the pavement layer wasn’t necessary. They damaged our highway. Now we have the problem that the raised dust affects us. When they removed the pavement it was in good condition, it had some holes, but it wasn’t necessary to remove the entire asphalt layer,” the community leader said.

The tattered road which winds its way through the slopes of the Central Mountains’ foothills links La Torre on the Duarte highway with the villages of La Presa, Caimito, Rancho Viejo, La Gina, Loma de Coco, the Tavera dam, and the town of Baitoa.