The Dominican Republic is spending big on fixing Santo Domingo's notorious traffic, and visitors will feel the difference over the next few years. President Luis Abinader has confirmed that RD$9.545 billion of a RD$31.109 billion infrastructure fund — money raised by renegotiating the Aerodom airport operating contract — has already been spent on road and public-space projects across the capital.
Several headline works are done. Isabel Aguiar Avenue has been improved at a cost of RD$2.558 billion, and Plaza de la Bandera, one of the city's civic landmarks, has been fully renovated for RD$3.35 billion. If you last saw the city a few years ago, both are worth another look.
Bigger changes are coming. The most expensive project is a complete road solution for Avenida República de Colombia, budgeted at RD$11.476 billion, with about RD$3.37 billion already spent. It includes grade separations, return lanes and new connections, with completion projected for December 2027. Meanwhile, stormwater drainage work is under way along Luperón Avenue, including a tunnel linking the Malecón seaside boulevard with Plaza de la Bandera — a RD$2.482 billion effort that should also ease the flooding that can paralyse the city after heavy rain.
Two more projects will reshape journeys to and through the capital: a new bascule bridge beside the existing floating bridge, a RD$4.5 billion build expected to take 24 months, and an overpass on Charles de Gaulle Avenue in Santo Domingo Norte, near the corridor many visitors use between the two airports and the city's eastern districts. There are also plans to expand Las Damas Avenue in Santo Domingo Este, a project that could top RD$1 billion once expropriation costs are counted. The president noted that public utility decrees can be used where land deals stall, with valuations checked by National Assets, the Comptroller General and the National Cadastre.
Why should holidaymakers care? Santo Domingo's congestion is real — transfers from Las Américas Airport into the city can crawl, and trips across town that look short on a map can take an hour. Grade separations, a second drawbridge and a new overpass should shorten airport transfers and make it easier to combine the capital's Colonial Zone with beach trips on the coast. Some disruption is inevitable while the República de Colombia and Luperón works continue, so build buffer time into any airport transfer or day trip through Greater Santo Domingo, especially before the December 2027 completion date. On the plus side, the city has gained a spruced-up Plaza de la Bandera and a more resilient drainage network, which matters in the rainy season.
