SANTO DOMINGO – “In five years Pedernales will change, in 10 years it will be unrecognizable, and in 20 years it will be an example for the entire southern region,” President Luis Abinader said last night, referring to the Cabo Rojo-Pedernales tourism development project, one of the most ambitious plans launched by his government.
In his speech commemorating the second anniversary of his inauguration, the president referred to the infrastructure projects underway in the province of Pedernales, stating that the port of Cabo Rojo will be ready for the arrival of tourists in November 2023.
“The construction of the first hotel is already out for tender, and the tenders for all the hotels in the first phase, which are 11, will be posted monthly. The airport designs are almost ready to be put out for tender,” Abinader noted while speaking from the Gran Teatro del Cibao in Santiago, an address made on the 159th anniversary of the Restoration War.
Abinader announced that work on the Bergatín project in Puerto Plata will begin in the coming weeks, after more than a year of design work.
“These projects will be a global example that we can all see and will have a significant impact on the lives of thousands of Dominicans; they will definitively change the face of the entire country and will bring thousands of direct and indirect jobs, boosting local economies and contributing to great economic growth,” he declared.
Amber Highway
Referring to the Amber Highway, announced in August 2020, he specified that the work has not been able to start because the government is not willing to carry out failed operations like the "Samaná highway".
“Of all the projects announced for Santiago 9 months ago, the only one we have not yet been able to start, and I want to acknowledge this, is the Amber Highway, because this government is not willing to have failed or poorly executed projects, like the Samaná highway that condemned Dominicans for years to an unfair and disproportionate shadow toll,” he said.
He also indicated that his government wants to do “many things, but to do them well. Our adherence to the law leads us to be cautious and to respect procedures even knowing that this can sometimes lengthen the process.”.
About Santiago
"And being here today, I want to refer, in a very special way, to Santiago, a city that has been forgotten for years and with which I have a very special family and emotional connection, and which is now part of the government's priority agenda, through concrete actions," the president said.
"Here we are making transformative investments such as the construction of the cable car; the monorail; the Gurabo Ravine; the entrance avenue to Santiago; and we have the Navarrete Bypass out for tender and the expansion of the Santiago-Licey highway budgeted, among others, because we are committed to the progress and well-being of this city and to giving it back what it justly deserves according to its contribution to the national economy," said Luis Abinader.
Public Works with more than 500 projects totaling RD$86 billion
President Luis Abinader also highlighted that the Ministry of Public Works and Communications currently has more than 500 projects underway, totaling RD$86 billion, including 9 ring roads and the expansion of the Santo Domingo Metro and Cable Car lines.
He also noted that during this time 87 projects have been completed with an investment of almost RD$15.4 billion.
Among the construction projects with the greatest regional impact are the 9 ring roads: those of Azua, Bani, Navarrete, Circuit 3 Santo Domingo, Moca, San Francisco, Santiago, Los Alcarrizos and Malecón de Nagua.
In Greater Santo Domingo, among the most important projects are the construction of Avenida Hípica, Avenida San Isidro, the Ecológica, from Ciudad Juan Bosch to Avenida Juan Pablo Segundo (Autovía del Nordeste), and the Andrés Overpass.
"Regarding mass transit projects, we are building the expansion of metro lines 1 and 2 in Santo Domingo and in Los Alcarrizos the extension of the metro and the cable car," he added.
