One of Santo Domingo's busiest east-west corridors is about to look very different. The National District Mayor's Office has started a major renovation of the 27 de Febrero Boulevard, with completion targeted for August 2027. The goal: turn a car-dominated strip into a corridor people can actually walk along comfortably.

The plan centres on a continuous pedestrian route linking Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln avenues, two of the city's main north-south arteries. Crews will clear the boulevard's entrances and remove advertising screens and recreational structures that currently block foot traffic. From there, the rebuild adds proper sidewalks, benches, shade structures, bins, ornamental lighting and landscaping — the basics that make a city street usable in Caribbean heat.

There's serious engineering work involved too. The slab covering the tunnel section of the boulevard will be waterproofed, and existing loads on it will be reduced for structural safety. The tunnel itself gets improved ventilation and new evacuation routes. Everything goes through technical evaluation and approval by the Ministry of Public Works, which should reassure anyone worried about disruption or safety during the build.

The project fits into a wider push by Mayor Carolina Mejía to reclaim public space in the Dominican capital. Her administration says it has already delivered around 220 renovated parks and plazas across the city, and the boulevard is the flagship of that effort so far.

For travellers, this is worth knowing on two levels. If you're heading to Santo Domingo before August 2027, expect construction along one of the city's main thoroughfares — factor in extra time for cross-town trips, especially between the Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln area and anywhere east. If you're visiting after, the corridor should be a far more pleasant way to move between districts on foot, with shade and seating where there used to be clutter and blocked walkways.

It also signals where the capital is heading. Santo Domingo's Zona Colonial already draws visitors for its UNESCO-listed old town, but the modern city beyond it has long been built around cars. A boulevard designed for pedestrians is a small sign that's starting to change — and it makes the gap between the colonial quarter and the rest of the city easier to bridge, whether you're walking, catching a rideshare or just deciding where to base yourself.