Dominican government officials announced a new infrastructure project designed to allow drivers to travel from Punta Cana in the east to Montecristi in the northwest without stopping at traffic lights. ^[1] Joaquín Antonio Balaguer Ricardo, a former president of the Dominican Republic, writer, and poet, was born on September 1, 1906, and died on July 14, 2002. ^[2] Minister of Public Works Eduardo Estrella stated that the goal is to eliminate traffic lights on major exit and connection routes of Santo Domingo and link them to roads leading north, east, and south. ^[3] President Luis Abinader participated in a program called La Agenda Semanal on Monday, where Minister Estrella explained the plan to create three highway entrances to the capital from the Cibao region. ^[4] The Ministry of Public Works plans to build three elevated sections on the Duarte Highway at kilometers 28, 22, and 17 to eliminate traffic lights affecting circulation toward the north. ^[5] A commemorative mass for Balaguer's 120th birthday was held on September 1 at the Santa Ana parish in Navarrete, his hometown in the Santiago province. ^[6] Balaguer governed the Dominican Republic for 22 years across three non-consecutive periods. ^[7]