SANTO DOMINGO. -The Minister of Public Works and Communications (MOPC), Deligne Ascención, announced yesterday, Friday, April 19, 2024, that the government has plans to build two courthouses in the province of Santo Domingo, in addition to the building currently under construction in the municipality of Santo Domingo Este.
The official said the buildings will house a significant number of judicial officials. One is planned for the municipality of Santo Domingo Norte and another for Santo Domingo Oeste.
“Two new projects are underway to achieve a significant reduction in traffic congestion, similar to that of Santo Domingo East. The first will be in Santo Domingo West, where the OMSA (Metropolitan Office of Bus Services) still operates, and the other in Santo Domingo North,” the official stated.
Regarding the building that the MOPC is constructing in the municipality of Santo Domingo Este, he noted that it is receiving the final touches and will be handed over to the judicial authorities within two or three months.
He mentioned that the construction required a series of adjustments and redesigns, "which have happily resulted in a work of this magnitude that we are proud of," Ascención stated while participating as a guest on the program "Hoy Mismo" on Color Visión.
The project has a construction area of 50,000 square meters and consists of two buildings: one that will house the Public Prosecutor's Office and another that will house the Public Defender's Office. It also includes a modern parking area and recreational facilities for residents and visitors.
“It is a modern building in which the highest quality standards in engineering have been used; it is an intelligent building with quality materials in all elements; it is a true palace of justice that will replace the precarious way in which justice is administered today in the main province of the country, where at this time hearings are still held in vans,” Ascención said.
He emphasized that the president of the Supreme Court of Justice and other magistrates “are highly impressed by what is being developed here, which has been a combination of efforts between the Judiciary and the Ministry of Public Works that has adapted to the changes and suggestions of those who will perform their functions in this building.”.
He noted that the project involves an investment of approximately 4.5 billion pesos.
“We are talking about a project that, between the budget and the redesign, is about 500 pages long, because we have had to break down a series of elements that, when it was done, were put out to tender, let's say, with a conceptual design, and then it had to be translated into a construction design with a series of elements because there was no architectural planning with the owners of the building,” he explained.
Ascención also reported that to facilitate access to the Palace of Justice, a transport connection line will be established through OMSA and other systems.
