SANTO DOMINGO- The Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) and the company Pueblo Viejo Dominicana Jersey 2 Limited signed an agreement establishing the terms and conditions for conducting the study and design for the construction of the Piedra Blanca-El Copey Bypass, which will connect communities in the provinces of Sánchez Ramírez and Monseñor Nouel and will be under the responsibility of the official institution.
The agreement, signed by Minister Deligne Ascención and Juana Barceló Cueto, president of Pueblo Viejo Dominicana, stipulates that this mining company will contribute $1,775,000 to the project's development, in accordance with the scope of work. This company manages mining operations in the Pueblo Viejo area of Sánchez Ramírez province.
Ascención said that the agreement will result in an important solution, not only for the provinces of Sánchez Ramírez and Monseñor Nouel, but also for the entire northeast region, with the construction of the ring road, which will have a length of 11.8 kilometers.
“With this design, which is the subject of the agreement, the financing by the Pueblo Viejo company will allow a bypass, as an alternative route to the existing one that connects the municipalities of Piedra Blanca, Maimón and the entire Sánchez Ramírez province, and consequently one of the most traveled routes to other provinces in the northeast,” he explained.
He also referred to the benefits that the provinces of María Trinidad Sánchez and Samaná will have with the new road.
“It is very gratifying to have this link and joint effort and purpose between a private capital entity and a public institution, such as the MOPC, to be able to agree on joint actions that will translate into benefits for all these communities, because it will ease and improve the quality of life of their people, but above all, to facilitate transit to and from those areas that we have indicated.”.
For her part, Juana Barceló Cueto said that a year and a half ago the Pueblo Viejo company worked on a pre-feasibility study that was presented to the MOPC, that a whole review process was carried out, and that now the second step is being taken, which is the definitive design of the road.
“So now it’s a matter of doing the work that culminates in the design of the route that will be built,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ricardo de los Santos, president of the Senate and senator for Sánchez Ramírez, who was present at the signing of the agreement, said that in order for this province to develop, “we need an access road interconnecting with the major markets, with the Capital and the Duarte highway.”.
"Let it be an access route that meets the conditions for our province to achieve the levels of development to which we all aspire," he said.
The agreement also establishes that the company Pueblo Viejo will provide the MOPC with the descriptive supports that must contain the basic studies and plans of the project, and the scope of the work that includes traffic, topographic and photogrammetric, geological and geotechnical, hydrology and hydraulic studies, environmental impact, seismic structural design analysis, road safety and complementary studies.
The final studies and detailed engineering of the project are summarized in: final geometric design plans and reports, traffic and road mobility report and recommendations, structural design plans and reports, final recommendations, geotechnical/pavement/quality control designs and calculation reports, geology studies report and recommendations.
Also, hydraulic/hydrological/groundwater studies and recommendations, road safety recommendation reports, environmental impact studies according to the terms of reference of the Ministry of Environment, cost analysis/final budget, and property appraisal in the project design and construction area.
Also participating in the activity were the MOPC's cabinet coordinator, Rafael Espinal; the vice minister of Road Infrastructure, Elías Santana; and the legal consultant, Domingo Santana Castillo.
Representing Pueblo Viejo were Juan Pepín, Capital Projects Manager; Vanessa Reinoso; Vielka Guzmán, representing the Communications Manager; and Hemil Abreu, Permits Manager.
