Lawyer Francisco (Pancho) Álvarez wants the government to interrogate former Public Works ministers Miguel Vargas Maldonado and Víctor Díaz Rúa on the Autopista del Nordeste/Autopista Juan Pablo II road. The civil society spokesperson understands these two should be held accountable to the country for signing the contract with the onerous clause that obliges the Dominican state to pay billions of pesos. The clause guarantees the concessionaire company a minimum income, which is not covered by the low vehicular traffic on the Northeast highway.
President Luis Abinader in his 27 of February annual speech announced negotiations to end the onerous payments of the now-infamous “shadow toll” on the northeast toll road between Las Americas and Nagua. Abinader said that his administration was looking into legal ways to end the horrible subsidy that has cost the government over RD$26 billion, or twice what the road cost to build.
What is known is that the original Samana toll road contract (construction, financing, maintenance and operation was signed in 2001 when Miguel Vargas Maldonado was Minister of Public Works. This was approved by Congress in 2002 during the former President Hipolito Mejia administration. The contract implementation began in 2005 when Victor Díaz Rua was Minister of Public Works. From 2006 to 2008 the first phase of the construction was begun and from 2009 to 2011 the second. Diaz Rúa was who on 23 August 2007 signed the amendments that modified the original contract.
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Hoy
2 March 2021