Dominican hoteliers eye US$300.0M highway to drum up business

Santo Domingo.- The major executives of the Playa Dorada hotels on Wednesday proposed a new road to link Santiago and Puerto Plata province, to reduce the time and cost for motorists headed to the resort region known as the "Bride of the Atlantic."

They said the ‘Atlantic Highway’ road project -to be built by the government- would include the 18 kilometers from the Santiago Beltway to regional highway #5, just five minutes from the resort area.

The cost for the four lane, 35 kilometer road could reach US$300 million, financed through the RD-Vial state road trust.

Playa Dorada Hotel Association president Marcos Villanueva said once built the road will be a major boost to the region’s tourism, which will be closer to Santiago’s airport and especially the capital, reducing travel time to and from Puerto Plata to just two hours.