Renovation progresses in the Colonial City
Santo Domingo—The rehabilitation of streets as part of the Integral Program for the Tourist and Urban Development of the Colonial City of Santo Domingo or Revitalization Program (Tu Ciudad Colonial), composed of 28 projects currently underway, is 30% complete.
This rehabilitation has an investment of US$36 million, and they are working on ten streets: Las Damas (48 % progress), Salomé Ureña (40 % progress); Las Mercedes (32 %); Arzobispo Nouel (0.2 %), Hostos, Luperón, Duarte, 19 de Marzo, José Reyes, and Padre Billini, comprising a total of 4.7 kilometers.
The rehabilitation of the pavement of roads and sidewalks and the water and sewage system, undergrounding of electrical and telecommunications networks, environmental plan, and new urban landscaping are being carried out in these areas. It includes a program for improving Solid Waste Management and Collection, a lighting plan and replacing the drinking water network.
The general coordinator of this program, Amin Abel Santos, explained that it will conclude in 2025, and the streets project, which is the most symbolic, will be delivered in finished sections.
He said that another of the projects is the revitalization and architectural adaptation of the museums, with an execution amount of US$ 7 million, and at the end of the year, two museums will be delivered: the Santo Domingo Fortress and the Cathedral.
It also includes the Viceroyal Palace Don Diego Colon or Alcazar de Colon Museum and the Museum of the Royal Houses.
It is recalled that this program has an investment of 90 million dollars through an agreement signed between the Dominican State and the
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which initiated the second intervention in Colonial City, which also has the co-financing of three million euros from the European Union for the Electromobility Program and the Housing Improvement Program (Promevi).
The Ministry of Tourism executes this initiative through its Program Coordinating Unit (UCP) and in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office of the National District (ADN) and the Ministry of Culture (MINC).
They are also currently carrying out the Facade Recovery project, at an approximate cost of US$ 2 million, which seeks to beautify the urban image of the Colonial City; 120 buildings will receive a thorough intervention on their facades. And with Pinta tu Ciudad, another 150 will be prepared and painted.
There have been so many delays with this whole process, it just doesn’t seem to have an end date. The revitalization program was first announced in 2016 and currently it’s not even 40% complete.
El Conde needs the most attention. It is the heart of the Colonial Zone.