DR-3 then continues east and slightly north to the eastern cities of San Pedro de Macorís, La Romana, and Higüey and has connections to the routes that lead to the resort towns of Bayahibe, Bávaro, and Punta Cana.

DR-3 is called by different names from its western terminus in Plaza de la Bandera, Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional to San Rafael del Yuma in the eastern corner of the country.

DR-3 travels to the major cities of the east such as San Pedro De Macorís and La Romana and the tourist towns of Bávaro, Punta Cana and Bayahibe.

The corridor continues east of downtown via the use of a single long grade-separated viaduct with exits that connect the expreso with the southern borders of working-class neighborhoods such as Miraflores, Villa Consuelo, and Mejoramiento Social.

The viaduct continues above the San Martin, Juan Pablo Duarte, and Josefa Brea avenues of the city until its end in the Ozama River.

The portion from Santo Domingo Este to here is also the only true limited-access highway in the country as it contains an actual service road which allows faster traveling speeds for motorists.

This portion of DR-3 (specifically when traveling eastbound) is also very dangerous due to its proximity to the Caribbean Sea, and has been the cause of many fatal slip-off accidents; this problem is yet to be addressed by the Dominican authorities.

Local routes continue eastward and provide a connection to the internationally renowned tourist towns of Punta Cana and Bávaro located in the eastern extremes.

In 2002 the Autopista de las Américas was renovated by placing new light bulbs and service stops in the middle of the highway while making it a three-lane expressway.

In August 2012, the government opened a new four-lane highway named Autopista del Coral which runs non-stop from La Romana to Punta Cana (one of the most popular tourist regions of the country).