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BiggerGovernment announces tender for construction of the Ámbar Highway
Puerto Plata.- President Luis Abinader announced that within the next three weeks, the government will officially launch the tender for the Ámbar Highway, a major infrastructure project that will connect Santiago with Puerto Plata. The initiative, valued at US$500 million, will be executed through the RD Vial Trust, with the government contributing RD$8.5 billion to its development.
Speaking during the inauguration of the Meliá Bergantín Beach Hotel, Abinader explained that the project was initially conceived as a public-private partnership (PPP) but will now be carried out directly by the state due to its significant economic and tourism impact.
The RD Vial Trust, led by Hostos Rizik, will oversee the highway’s execution. The entity has been responsible for nationwide road maintenance and modernization programs, improving cleaning, lighting, signage, and safety in coordination with the Ministry of Public Works and Communications (MOPC).
Once completed, the Ámbar Highway will cut travel time between Santiago and Puerto Plata to just 30 minutes, strengthening connectivity between the country’s second-largest city and key tourism developments like Punta Bergantín, while stimulating investment and regional growth across the Cibao region.
This is great for the area. It will expand to help commercial interests and the public. Yet, the country’s leaders should be thinking about a route through the mountains that connects the Santiago region to the southwest of the country. The present situation requires traffic to/from Santiago zones to the southwest to transit through the chaos of greater Santo Domingo. The economic growth of both areas begs for relief of transit costs and related stresses.