PyT Infraestructura asks RD Vial for extension in Amber Highway bidding process

Santo Domingo.- The engineering firm PyT Infraestructura has requested an extension from RD Vial to submit the terms of reference for the design and construction of the highway connecting the Santiago Northern Ring Road with the Puerto Plata–Sosúa highway (Amber Highway). The request is intended to allow sufficient time to carry out preliminary technical work needed to define the optimal alignment of the road.

According to PyT Infraestructura’s general manager, Amín Ricardo García Acuña, the bidding process asks contractors to submit a highway design without a defined zero line, which requires additional preliminary studies before establishing the road axis. He noted that industry standards indicate that developing a preliminary design with a reliable construction budget requires an investment of US$2 to US$3 million and involves intellectual property considerations that are not clearly addressed in the bidding documents.

García Acuña suggested that if RD Vial, the Ministry of Public Works, or another state entity already possesses technical studies from previous processes—such as the public-private partnership (APP) initiative that included a complete design—they should be made public to allow fair technical comparison among proposals. He emphasized that standard practice in public works is for the contracting authority to provide a base design, allowing bidders to submit improvements or alternative proposals.