President Luis Abinader announced in his inaugural speech the construction of the Autopista del Ambar. The new highway has been on the books for years because it would shorten the travel time between Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata by at least half an hour. It was previously referred to as Autovia del Atlántico.
President Abinader, himself a former president of the Sosua & Cabarete Tourism Association, says the highway would reduce travel time to two hours from the capital city. Travel distance from Santiago would be reduced to 25 minutes, the President announced in his inaugural speech.
The highway was a campaign promise to Puerto Plata. The former senator of Puerto Plata is now the administrative minister of the Presidency, Jose Ignacio Paliza. The 40 km new road would connect the Santiago Bypass (Km 18 Circunvalación Norte) with La Gran Parada near Montellano in Puerto Plata on the north coast, some five km east of the Playa Dorada hotel complex.
The highway would be one of the first to be completed under the new Public-Private Alliances Law, passed last month by Congress.
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Inaugural Speech President Abinader
16 August 2020