´Phantom road´ points to another Dominican government scandal

San Francisco,Dominican Republic.- Inhabitants of the highland towns in of the northern rangeon Thursday denied that the expansion and reconstruction of the San Francisco-RioSan Juan road harms the ecology and the environment as opposition PRM party presidentAndres Bautista affirmed recently.

The statement comes in theheels of questions over what some media call a “phantom road,” whose financialdetails and environmental permit have yet to be disclosed.

Lawyer and rancherFrancisco Ovalle, who heads the groups which support the road project, denied environmentaldamage in the area with thriving livestock and plantations such as coffee,cocoa, yams, taro and other crops."What the government has done is widenthe highway and what´s new there is the around three kilometers of road that werebuilt from May to this date."

He said the inhabitantsof the villages along the around 64-kilometer road will benefit, and reiteratedthat there’s been no damage to the forests and the Blanquito and Boba rivers, whereaggragates have been extracted.

Protected area

The conflict emergedwhen local media reported the construction allegedly through the Loma Quita Espuelaecological reserve, but supporters say it´s 12 kilometers away.