Ground and columns for overpass delay tunnel for Line 2 of Metro

SANTO DOMINGO. A series of issues have presented themselves along the Padre Castellanos Avenue (La 17) which has halted the completion of the tunnel of Line 2 of the Santo Domingo Metro.

During the excavation of the tunnel, there appeared pockets of clay-like earth. Also, they have installed columns for the eventual construction of an overpass all along Padre Castellanos Avenue. Lastly, there is the fact that the Opret and the merchants have agreed that they construction will not interfere with the entire avenue, and these are cited as the causes of the slow down.

The deputy director of the Opret, Leonel Carrasco, said that regarding the station located at the intersection with Josefa Brea Avenue, they have installed column that will be used for an eventual overpass that is to be built on 17 Avenue, similar to the one on 27 de Febrero. "This is a project with the idea that it won't have to be done twice. We have made the installations of the Metro and we are leaving the columns that will withstand heavy loads, such as the elevated roadway," said Carrasco.

He said that different from the clay-like areas along the John F. Kennedy Avenue and Nuñez de Caceres, the subsoil of the Padre Castellanos Avenue is principally caliche or hardpan, although there are some pockets of soft clay." Carrasco said that the caliche, "although it is hard, is easier to work" for this kind of project.

Regarding the slowness of the work in the area, the engineer said that this is due to a agreement between the Opret and the merchants in the area, "We had told them that eventually we would occupy one side of the street. Then the other, but with space for people to walk around. Right now there is a detour. We apologize for the inconvenience," he said.

According to Opret, only the two stations in the extreme east of the Metro are still separated. "Once we finish these jobs between Stations 18 and 19, we will have brought to an end all of the tunneling," said Carrasco. The estimated time of finishing the tunnel is in February 2012.

The River Avenue is stopped

The Office for the Reorganization of Transportation (OPRET) paid more than RD$60,000,000 for the relocation of some 200 houses of the Gualey barrio on the banks of the Ozama River in order to build the extension of the Francisco Caamaño Deño Avenue.

Ten months later the project was abandoned due to a lack of resources. "We need RD$2.4 billion in order to finish the perimeter avenue," said the deputy director of Opret, Leonel Carrasco. "This is about 10% of the budget of the office for this year."

Carrasco said that the project is of great importance of eight densely populated barrios of the capital. "This avenue will provide a system or transportation to the most populous barrios of the National District and serve as a beltway," he said.