Abinader announces Amber Highway construction to begin within 15 days

Madrid..- President Luis Abinader announced that construction of the long-awaited Amber Highway is expected to begin within 15 days, following an initial government budget allocation of RD$5.78 billion.

Abinader made the announcement Wednesday after meeting with Sergio Díaz-Granados, executive president of the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF), which expressed interest in supporting the infrastructure project.

Presidency Minister José Ignacio Paliza confirmed that preliminary site work has begun in Montellano, Puerto Plata, and that the first two environmental permits have been secured for the highway sections connecting Santiago and Puerto Plata.

The approximately 35-kilometer highway is expected to reduce travel time between the two provinces from more than an hour to around 35 minutes, improving transportation, facilitating trade and strengthening tourism and investment across the northern region.

The project was awarded by the RD Vial Trust to the Autopista del Ámbar Consortium, comprising Magna, Rizek Constructora, Ingeniería Estrella and Constructora Mar, for approximately RD$28.8 billion.

CAF, which has maintained cooperation with the Dominican Republic for more than two decades, opened offices in Santo Domingo in 2025 and supports development initiatives in infrastructure, tourism, energy, education and other strategic sectors. The country became a CAF member in 2004 and a full member in 2021.