Engineer Martin Concepción Múñoz, vice president of the Union Panamericana de Asociaciones de Ingenieros and former president of the Colegio Dominicano de Ingenieros y Arquitectos in an interview with El Siglo newspaper pointed to serious overpricing in the construction of the Nueva Isabela International Airport at El Higuero, in northern Santo Domingo. The airport was built by private contractors under the Ministry of Public Works supervision during the past Fernández administration. It was built to replace the Herrera International Airport that is located in a central area of the city of Santo Domingo. The new Minister of Public Works Miguel Vargas Maldonado has said that the Dominican government had invested RD$600 million in the airport, and that another RD$500 million were needed to complete the project. Engineer Vargas has said that the government will not be investing more in the new airport and seeks a private operator to complete the project. Engineer Concepción alerted that the state would lose millions by passing the airport to the private sector. He pointed out the incongruities in the pricing of the Isabela airport. He said that a private group has built a bigger airport in Licey Al Medio (Santiago area), and that this has only cost RD$110 million. He said the Santiago airport has a terminal that is 8,000 square meters big, while the Isabela terminal is 5,000 square meters. Santiago investors spent RD$56 million to build their terminal, while the Higuero terminal cost RD$300 million, he said. "That a larger airport, with a longer runway than that at El Higuero cost seven times less should call our attention," said Concepción. "I consider this is a matter of concern and an in-depth investigation should be called to determine where the RD$700 million invested in that airport went," he said.
