SANTIAGO.-A new proposal to link the Santiago Ring Road, the Punta Bergantín tourism real estate project, and the Amber Highway to create a circuit that will generate efficiency and boost economic development in the northern part of the country was presented yesterday by the executive director of the General Directorate of Public-Private Partnerships (DGAPP), Sigmund Freund, to business leaders in this area.
The plan was presented to the business sector of Santiago, led by the Association of Merchants and Industrialists (ACIS), in which the head of the DGAPP offered them the updated details of the initiative for the construction of the Amber Highway and its financial structuring.
At the meeting, led by ACIS President Sandy Filpo, the official explained that this modern highway, with an estimated investment of US$400 million, will connect Santiago with Puerto Plata in a four-lane route and two tunnels of 1.8 and 0.7 kilometers, respectively.
He said that it will make it easier for users to reach the destination in less than 30 minutes, which he assured will boost trade and the flow of visitors between both cities.
Freund explained to the businessmen and industrialists of Santiago that the innovative mechanism announced for this project by the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, is based on the fact that it does not involve the tax revenues of the Central Government, but rather the State's contribution is in kind, committing the private sector to acquire a tourist property and develop it to also support the economic development of the North Coast.
The DGAPP presented a new proposal for the Amber Highway. (External source).
He emphasized that, as President Abinader has mentioned repeatedly, the project does not include a shadow toll, so the fiscal resources of future generations are not compromised.
At the meeting, Freund highlighted the advantages of building this highway under a public-private partnership model, indicating that this will create a synergy that will boost productive, commercial, and tourism activities, facilitating the implementation of multi-destination tourism for visitors to the Atlantic coast.
Following this meeting and as part of his agenda, the executive director of the DGAPP toured several points along the route of the Amber Highway in both Santiago and Puerto Plata, accompanied by a technical team from the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC), and the RD Vial Trust, entities that will be the Contracting Unit in the PPP initiative.
On the Amber Highway
The Amber Highway comprises the design, construction, operation and maintenance of a 32.7-kilometer-long road, with two tunnels, that will connect the tourist province of Puerto Plata with the Santiago Ring Road.
It is planned as a four-lane express highway, two in each direction, where it will be possible to travel safely at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour.
The development of this highway aims to facilitate traffic in the area, reduce accident rates, save time, and lower fuel and vehicle maintenance costs for vehicles traveling between the heart of the Cibao region and the Atlantic Coast.
Furthermore, this project will contribute to the consolidation of the National Development Strategy, with regard to the creation of a territorially and sectorally integrated economy, which enhances local market opportunities and allows for competitive integration into the global economy.
