The Asunción City Hall announced that, starting tomorrow, Calle Presbítero Justo Román, between Avenida Augusto Roa Bastos and Comandante Luis González Street, will be closed for 45 days for the continuation of storm drainage works in the Cuenca Santo Domingo. Avenida Roa Bastos is already closed, turning the connection between the Santo Domingo and Manorá neighborhoods into a true maze.
The works were promised by former mayor Óscar “Nenecho” Rodríguez (ANR-HC), with funds from G8 bonds, and inherited by current mayor Luis Bello (ANR-HC). Progress is slow and, according to residents' accounts, the service remained abandoned for long periods during the previous administration.
In the affected area, the scene is one of neglect: open sewers emit nauseating odors, storm drains are uncovered on sidewalks, exposed pipes are left to the rain, and deep puddles damage vehicles. The newly laid asphalt on Roa Bastos is described as precarious and temporary.
Merchants in the region say they are in “survival mode,” while drivers face poorly marked detours and dead-end streets. The city hall has not informed whether there will be measures to mitigate the disruption during the closure period.