Lawyer and writer Federico Jovine Bermudez writes in Listin Diario that the Abinader administration’s Km 9 road improvements are a tale of broken promises and impunity. He recounts the many times that Minister of Public Works Deligne Ascención, or his deputies, have come forth to announce completion dates for the road section. The Km 9 grid is where the the country’s main highway (Duarte) heads north from the capital city, but it is also the point where Greater Santo Domingo’s bypasses interconnect, making it the most traveled in the country.
In his opinion piece in Listin Diario, Jovine complains that the minister lies about the completion dates, offers no explanations for the delays and that there are no consequences.
Jovine recalls that on 24 February 2022, President Luis Abinader launched the expansion of the Duarte Highway’s Km 9 interconnection grid from 8 to 14 lanes. The project was then budgeted at RD$900 million and slated for completion in 10 months. Construction would begin in May 2022.
Fifteen months later, in June 2023, Onésimo González, the public works advisor to Public Works Minister Deligne Ascención, reported that the project was 60% complete. Fast forward to 7 May 2024, and Deputy Minister of Supervision and Oversight of the Ministry of Public Works, Roberto Herrera assured the public that the project would be finished in 90 days, or in August 2024.
Concurrently, the Ministry of Public Works engaged in an expensive propaganda campaign announcing on radio and TV the new August completion schedule for the important road section. The roadwork now would have a final cost of RD$1.138 billion and would be completed 26 months after the initial start date.
Jovine writes that on 10 September 2024, Public Works Minister Deligne Ascención claimed that the project would be finished “in three, four, or five weeks at the most.” Just a few days later, on 14 September, Ascención announced that the 14 lanes would be operational on 16 September, leaving only “landscaping work” to be completed. However, on 19 September, Deputy Minister Herrera stated that the project would be finished “in December… as such… it is scheduled to be completed in January” — a staggering 35 months after the initial start date.
In December, facing public outcry, the MOPC claimed to be working 24/7 to expedite the project. Yet, on 26 December, the Ministry announced plans to halt traffic from 26 to 29 December to install pipes.
As of December 29, construction remains stalled. The 24/7 work schedule has been abandoned, landscaping is nonexistent, and even the New Jersey barriers are incomplete. Despite repeated assurances from government officials, the project, originally promised to be completed in 10 months, is now three years months behind schedule and still without a firm completion date.
Nevertheless, a recent press release from the Ministry of Public Works is circulating announcing advances in the Km 9 road construction and other public works.
Public Works Minister Deligne Ascención is a high-ranking official in the ruling Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM) and holds the position of national secretary of organization. He was appointed Minister of Public Works at the start of the first time of President Luis Abinader in August 2020.
Read more in Spanish:
Listin Diario
El Caribe
El Caribe
PRM
2 January 2024