The Senate has approved a US$54 million loan for the construction of the Autopista del Coral, the 70km La Romana-Punta Cana highway. The highway will be financed by the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the US government export promotion bank, and will include toll collection facilities. The highway was budgeted to cost US$272 million for the first two lanes in 2008, as reported in Hoy.