Getting from La Vega to the mountain towns of Jarabacoa and Constanza — the Dominican Republic's cool highland escapes — just got easier. President Luis Abinader has inaugurated the Antonio Guzmán Bridge over the Camú River in La Vega, reopening a corridor that had been closed since April 2024 when the old crossing was declared unsafe. The new bridge stretches 64.70 metres, carries two lanes of traffic, and includes sidewalks for pedestrians on both sides. It's been open to vehicles since August, and the surrounding area got a facelift too: 13 nearby streets paved, plus new sidewalks, lighting and signage.
It wasn't the only crossing to open that day. The Ministry of Public Works also delivered a 35-metre bridge over the La Palma River near Tireo in Constanza, a big deal for the farming communities there whose vegetables and flowers need reliable roads to reach market. A third bridge went in over the Verde River on the Manga Larga–El Quemado road in Río Verde Arriba, alongside a road upgrade in Los Quemados in Cutupú. In La Vega itself, Imbert Avenue now has a double carriageway with two lanes each direction, covering 1,809 metres of paving.
The bigger picture matters for travellers. Officials say more than RD$20 billion is being invested in La Vega province, with 26 bridge projects underway. Nine of those sit on the Duarte Highway — the main artery connecting Santo Domingo with the interior — and four are already finished. Seven more are on the Jarabacoa road, the route visitors take to reach the waterfalls, rafting outfitters and mountain lodges of that popular eco-tourism town. A new five-lane bridge is planned there, and the authorities say they're bringing in extra contractors to speed things up.
Longer-term, roadworks in the wider Cibao region — including bypasses at Santiago and Navarrete — should eventually make the drive from La Vega toward Mao and Montecristi far smoother.
Why should a visitor care? La Vega is the gateway to the Dominican interior's adventure side: Jarabacoa's rivers and pine hills, Constanza's strawberry farms and mountain scenery. For years, patchy crossings and congested roads added friction to those trips. These projects directly shorten drive times from Santo Domingo and improve access to the agricultural highlands, which is good news for weekenders and road-trippers alike. Anyone planning a route through the Cibao region this year should still expect some construction zones on the Duarte Highway and the Jarabacoa road, but the end result will be a noticeably better drive.
Story first reported by Dominican Today.
