the new two lane toll based highway is expected to convert samaná to another thriving tourist hub and it makes the los haitises national park much more accessible to the general public. the highway reduced the time a trip from santo domingo to the samaná region took from 4 hours and 30 minutes to now less than 2 hours. the highway is expected to reduce the traffic along the dr-1 which was the only highway connecting santo domingo to samana.