Minister of Public Works Gonzalo Castillo told journalists from the Nuevo Diario that by focusing on details and budgetary controls, his stint as minister has been successful so far. He told the editors that President Medina asked him to look at the small projects, since the big ones would take care of themselves.
Speaking about projects such as the Cibao-Sur Highway, the minister said that there were two road projects under study. One was the route from Piedra Blanca to San Jose de Ocoa and the other San Juan de la Maguana to Santiago. He noted that the connection between Ocoa and Sabana Larga has been completed and that this will avoid that in times of hurricanes the area is cut off.
Castillo explained that in the first case, the stretch from Sabana Larga, Rancho Arriba, Juan Adrian and Piedra Blanca gives access to the area where 60% of the nation’s greenhouses are located, where 55% of all the country’s produce comes from. He said that if the President approves it, in September they will begin to rebuild the section between Sabana Larga and Rancho Arriba, which is the most costly and covers 52 kilometers.
Regarding the second case, the Minister of Public Works said that studies were carried out on the feasibility of a highway between San Juan de la Maguana and Santiago, revealed that many rivers would be affected and this was explained to the Catholic bishops of the area that have strongly supported the construction of the road. He said, however, that a route was found following the top of the mountains but it does not lead to Santiago, but rather to Mao, Navarrete and Moncion, and is a “very long and costly” road. “This route will cost between US$300 and US$500 million, and where are we going to get that kind of money?” he said.
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