SANTO DOMINGO.-The reconstruction work on two highways being carried out by the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC) in the provinces of El Seibo, La Altagracia and Hato Mayor is progressing well, at a cost exceeding 500 million pesos.
The Deputy Minister of Road Maintenance of the MOPC, Luis Bastardo, who led a supervisory tour of these works, highlighted that the El Seibo-Cruce de Pavón highway already has 15 kilometers of asphalt applied.
The official also referred to the reconstruction of the El Piñal road, in the Hato de Mana section, municipality of Higüey.
He explained that the El Seibo-Cruce de Pavón highway has been a demand of the various communities for many years, and that its reconstruction will benefit thousands of people who travel from Hato Mayor to Higüey, and vice versa.
“This is a continuation of the milling and paving work on the El Seibo-Higüey highway, which is a demand that residents have been making for a long time, and they have been asking us for its construction and we have been responding to them,” he said.
He indicated that 15 kilometers of milling and asphalt improvements have been applied to that road, with an investment of 300 million pesos, "and we are going to continue along the entire road section, as requested by the various communities.".
He also recalled that in September of last year a group of community members approached them to request the construction and reconstruction of a section of the El Piñal road.
Bastardo stated that under the administration headed by the Minister of Public Works, Deligne Ascención, the application of asphalt is practiced differently than in past administrations where the asphalt was simply thrown on.
“Unlike what was being done previously in other administrations where asphalt was just thrown on haphazardly, we apply asphalt with a discerning eye, and that is why many times a contract of 200 or 300 million pesos has a different scope in some places,” he said.
Testimonies from community members
“We’ve been asking for this road to be repaired for quite some time now. It’s so important because thousands of bottles of milk and other agricultural products are transported this way. This is a very thriving community, and the road connects us to El Cuey, which belongs to El Seibo,” said Andrea Guerrero, a resident of Hato de Mana.
Leoncio Guerrero, from the same community, said that the town is grateful to the authorities, since the construction of this road is now a reality.
“The entire community is grateful for this project; a project like this isn't done just anywhere. Many people have come here to see this work that has been done in the community of Hato de Mano,” he stated.
Jovanny de la Rosa, from the Santa Rita community in El Seibo, gave thanks for the repair of the El Seibo-Cruce de Pavón road, as it was a demand from all those communities.
“We had been waiting for more than 15 years for this road to be repaired, and today the community of Cruce de Pavón feels good because we have a new street,” he said.
Deputy Minister Bastardo was accompanied by Billy Jean Tavárez, regional director for the East; Manuel Martínez from the Regional Equipment and Maintenance Directorate of the MOPC, among others.
