SANTO DOMINGO– Sigmund Freund, head of the General Directorate of Public-Private Partnerships (DGAPP), yesterday called on national construction companies that are committed to continuing to promote the development and growth of the country, to participate in the bidding process for the construction of the Amber Highway, which will be built for an estimated amount of US$400 million.
The entity's executive director highlighted that the announcement opens the process for national and international companies to present their expressions of interest and credentials in order to be enabled to participate in the bidding process for the project, "with the guarantee of a competitive and transparent process.".
“For us, it is essential that Dominican construction companies, which have demonstrated their capabilities for this type of project, participate in this process, which we assure will be a model of public-private partnership that will erase the bad experiences of the past, when we did not yet have Law 47-20, a regulation that guarantees an efficient distribution of risks and an adequate return of benefits,” Freund said during a press conference at the National Palace.
He emphasized that the construction of the Amber road is supported by the business sector, both in Santiago and Puerto Plata, because with the operation of this road, greater economic dynamism will be achieved in the northern region.
The official reported that in the coming weeks a "Roadshow" will be held in the country and internationally to present the project to potential investors and encourage them to participate in this competitive process, and that it is expected that the project will be awarded by the first quarter of 2024.
The meeting with the media was led by the Minister of the Presidency, Joel Santos; the Administrative Minister of the Presidency, José Ignacio Paliza; the Minister of Public Works and Communications, Deligne Ascención; the Executive Director of RD Vial, Jean Luis Rodriguez; and the head of the DGAPP, where details were offered for the execution of this modern highway that will connect Santiago and Puerto Plata in less than 30 minutes.
Freund explained that the current administration has managed to structure a financial model that prevents the Government from assuming a shadow toll, integrating a value proposition that links the construction of the Amber Highway, the Santiago Ring Road and the Punta Bergantín real estate development project in Puerto Plata.
The meeting also explained the new financial model that integrates the Ámbar highway, the Northern Ring Road, and the Punta Bergantín tourism real estate development project into a single circuit. Toll collection for both the Ámbar highway and the Northern Ring Road will remain the responsibility of the RD Vial trust.
Amber Details
Ascención, Minister of Public Works, explained that the new highway will be 32 kilometers long, beginning at the Santiago Bypass and ending in the municipality of Montellano, Puerto Plata. It will have four lanes, two in each direction, two tunnels, and a modern, standard road design (comparable to the Coral Highway and the Santo Domingo Bypass).
He opined that the Amber project will transform the quality of land transport in the Northern region, giving the population the opportunity to travel on a highway with high safety and allowing productive sectors to circulate on a road with greater traffic and cargo capacity.
Call for Bids
As mandated by Law 47-20, on public-private partnerships, through paid publications in the media, the DGAPP called upon “all legal entities, national or foreign, to express interest in order to be qualified to participate in the selection process for awardee Number CNAPP-PSA-2023-0001, referring to the Public-Private Partnership Contract for the Design, Construction, Financing, Operation and Maintenance of the Amber Highway and for the Operation and Maintenance of the Northern Santiago Ring Road”.
The construction of the Amber Highway is a road infrastructure project that will revitalize the entire northern region of the country, not only boosting tourism development but also commerce and the transport of goods.
Benefits
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.
