A road that Dominican travellers and tourism operators have waited years for is finally moving. President Luis Abinader has confirmed groundbreaking on the Amber Highway within 15 days, with the government already releasing the first budget allocation of RD$5.78 billion.
The announcement came during a bilateral meeting between Abinader and Sergio Díaz-Granados, executive president of CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, which has signalled interest in helping finance construction. Work on the ground is already underway: land preparation has started in Montellano, in Puerto Plata province, and the first two environmental licences have been granted for free trade zones along the Puerto Plata–Santiago corridor and its reverse route.
The highway itself runs roughly 35 kilometres and was awarded by RD Vial Trust to the Amber Highway Consortium (Magna, Rizek Constructora, Ingeniería Estrella and Constructora Mar) for RD$28,800 million.
So why should a beach-bound traveller care? Because the trip between Santiago, the inland commercial hub, and Puerto Plata, the north coast's main gateway for resorts and beaches, currently takes more than an hour of often slow driving. The new route should cut that to about 35 minutes. Anyone flying into Santiago but heading to the coast — or combining city and beach in one trip — will feel the difference directly, whether in a rental car, a private transfer or a shared shuttle.
The bigger picture matters too. The government frames the road as an engine for the whole Northern region: faster freight movement, easier access to Puerto Plata's ports and beaches, and new investment drawn in by the improved corridor. For holidaymakers, that usually translates into more flight options, better hotel supply and upgraded infrastructure around established spots like Playa Dorada, Sosúa and Cabarete, all within reach of the improved route.
There is no firm opening date yet — construction on a project of this size will take years — so anyone planning a trip in the near term should still budget for the current drive time. But for travellers who like watching a destination upgrade itself, the north coast is entering a phase worth tracking. Puerto Plata already offers a cruise port, a cable car up Mount Isabel de Torres and a growing portfolio of all-inclusive and boutique stays; a faster link to Santiago only widens its reach as a base for exploring the interior.
If you've been putting off the Dominican north coast in favour of Punta Cana, this is a good reason to look again — and if you go in the next couple of years, you'll be able to say you saw the region before the highway changed it.
