Background

In the last decade, the number of vehicles in Dominican Republic has grown at an average annual rate of 6%, which has led to a sharp rise in traffic volume. As of 2020, the number of privately registered vehicles amounted to 4.84 million, of which 44.4% were within Greater Santo Domingo. Such a surge in vehicle ownership without a strategic plan for sustainable urban development has aggravated urban traffic congestion, contributing significantly to rising economic and social costs. The increase in circulating vehicles has also taken a toll on road safety, locating the Dominican Republic as the world's second-highest national traffic mortality rate. Traffic accidents are the 4th leading cause of death in the nation, with an average of 34.6 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.

Objective

Study the feasibility of deploying an Intelligent Traffic System (ITS) within the city of Santo Domingo and across the national highway system of the Dominican Republic (DR). ITS leverages cutting-edge information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve the safety, efficiency, effectiveness, accessibility, and sustainability of the transportation network without having to increase the capacity of the network itself.

Expected Results

1. Carry out a series of studies that will elaborate on the current transport and traffic conditions, existing capacity, and coverage of the digital infrastructure in the city of Santo Domingo and on the national highways. 
2. Furthermore, this cooperation also intends to tailor South Korea’s experience, best practices, knowledge, and lessons learned in intelligent traffic systems for urban areas and highways. 
3. Implementing an intelligent traffic system in the city of Santo Domingo and the national highways can reduce traffic congestion and traffic fatalities, increase life quality, and reduce negative environmental impact while transitioning the country’s road network to intelligent infrastructure.