With the aim of encouraging international companies and investors to participate in the competitive process for selecting the winning bidder for the construction, maintenance and operation of the Amber Highway project, the General Directorate of Public-Private Partnerships (DGAPP) held the first International Road Show in Spain to promote this initiative, which will be developed under the public-private partnership modality.
From May 30 to June 2 of this year, a delegation from the DGAPP, headed by the deputy director of promotion, Izalia López, presented to companies and investors the details of the project's structuring and financial model, which includes the operation and maintenance of the Northern Ring Road of Santiago and, as an innovative component to avoid a shadow toll, the state contribution of a plot of land located in the Punta Bergantín real estate development project.
The Road Show included the companies Iridium Concesiones de Infraestructuras, OHLA, Abertis, Grupo Puentes, Grupo Ortiz, COPASA, VINCI Highways, and Cointer from the “Grupo AZVI”, which were selected for their experience in the development of infrastructure projects, with a long track record in Works of the characteristics of the Amber.
During the presentations, topics such as initial investment, environmental impact, infrastructure distribution, the benefits of integrating the Santiago Northern Ring Road and the Punta Bergantín project, legal security, and the positive impact it will have on the economic dynamism of the northern region of the country were discussed.
The project for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the Amber Highway has been structured to be executed under the modality of a public-private partnership and is in the competitive process phase for the selection of the winning bidder, so the DGAPP is developing a promotional process that began in Spain, and was also carried out in South Korea, from June 5 to 9, and in the Dominican Republic from June 14 to 16.
Benefits of the Amber Highway
The direct and indirect benefits can be summarized as follows:
- Strengthening tourism.
- Significant job creation.
- Cost savings and reduction of unforeseen events through design methodologies.
- Improvement of the quality of life and purchasing power of the workers who will build and operate the project.
- Increased demand and use of construction materials and other inputs.
- Increased truck traffic on the internal roads of the area, for the transport of construction materials and dumping of material.
- Greater access to markets for local crops and products.
- Greater access to medical care and other social services.
- Strengthening local economies.
The Amber Highway is designed to be built with the following characteristics:
- Length: 32 kilometers.
- Start in Santiago (Santiago Ring Road); finish in Puerto Plata (Gran Parada).
- 4 lanes, 2 in each direction.
- Two tunnels.
