They will be in charge of 34 national contractors, of which nine are micro-entrepreneurs and another nine are women-led companies.
SANTO DOMINGO- The Ministry of Public Works and Communications will develop the project "Periodic and routine maintenance of rural roads, Group I", aimed at promoting the participation of the micro, small and medium enterprise sector (MSMEs), including Women MSMEs, in road infrastructure works to be carried out in 21 provinces, with improvement works covering 649 km of rural roads.
The road works, which are part of the "Improvement of Road Infrastructure in the Dominican Republic" program, financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), will be carried out by 34 national contractors, nine of which are micro-entrepreneurs and another nine companies led by women, to provide periodic and routine maintenance, by service levels, to 70 existing rural roads.
The project is estimated to impact more than 80,000 residents of the beneficiary communities, primarily rural, where approximately 49% are women. In the 18 plots of land allocated to micro-entrepreneurs and women-led businesses alone, the beneficiary population exceeds 40,000.
During an event held at the MOPC, with the participation of the micro-entrepreneurs in charge of the works and their advisors, Minister Deligne Ascención highlighted that this program has to do with a fundamental aspect in the maintenance of infrastructure, especially rural infrastructure, with its maintenance and preservation of road assets.
He considered that due to the scarcity of the resources being managed, "maintenance prolongs the useful life of our infrastructures and therefore allows for a smaller amount of resources for their preservation.".
He stated that with regular maintenance the useful life of these communication routes can be extended, and that this constitutes one of the added values of the program that, with financing from the IDB, "we are announcing today to the entire country.".
“This preventive and routine maintenance program, which covers 22 provinces and extends along 649 km of rural roads, directly impacts hundreds of rural communities whose population exceeds 80,000 people,” he stated.
Ascención said that this program will impact the rural sector, which is strategic from the point of view of national development, "because it not only allows productive activity to develop within the communities, where agriculture plays a very important role, but also contributes to generating all the dynamics in these communities, and prevents migratory flows.".
Katharina Falkner Olmedo, IDB representative in the Dominican Republic, said that today it is proven that if we want to be successful as a country, "it is diversity that will lead us to this end, and that is so important that the IDB Group is implementing it throughout the country.".
In that regard, he said that the Ministry of Public Works should be highlighted for its courage, its vision, "and for being open to trying a different method.".
Meanwhile, Rosa Matos, Director of Transversality at the Ministry of Women, said that the event she attended highlights the achievements and contribution of the MOPC to the economic autonomy of women, by awarding a group of small and medium-sized businesswomen the order to begin works that they have won based on their exceptional performance thanks to this strategic bidding process.”.
Perla Bautista, representing the General Directorate of Purchases and Contracts, stated that the project will bring significant growth and development to the areas to be impacted.
Investment and beneficiary regions
The estimated investment for this project is 619 million 58 thousand 779 pesos with 01 cent, and the provinces to be benefited are distributed in the North or Cibao region (48%), Southwest region (41%), and Southeast region (11%).
The project is expected to have a significant impact on the development of the communities involved, where it seeks to improve 642 kilometers of existing rural roads. This will optimize the connection to nearby urban centers, health centers, and educational facilities by reducing travel times by at least 30%, allowing products to be transported in better conditions to distribution centers and markets. This generates a multiplier effect that contributes to improving the lives of community members and making the country's transportation system more efficient.
Additionally, it is estimated that the execution of the project will generate more than a thousand direct jobs, of which more than 70% correspond to local labor, and the hiring of more than 200 women from the beneficiary localities is planned for routine maintenance.
The execution period is six months for periodic maintenance, and 18 months for routine maintenance, for a total execution period of 24 months.
The event was attended by the Deputy Ministers of MOPC Angel Tejeda and Mélito Santana; the Director of the Project Execution Unit, Cristian Borrero, and his assistant, engineer Lucía Cedeño, as well as officials from the IDB, and other institutions.
