Clave Digital focuses several articles on the construction of the metro. The mega-project, which is under the direction of former minister of public works, engineer Diandino Pena, has been an important part of President Leonel Fernandez’s government program from day one. President Fernandez created the post of Office of the Metro, with Pena in charge, at the start of his government. Pena has gone ahead with the metro, despite major opposition that concludes that the actual cost of the metro will go well beyond the announced US$32 million per kilometer, which has now gone up to US$50 million per kilometer quoted by Pena, and that there are other solutions to Santo Domingo’s transport problems. But Pena, who is famous for having built overpasses and underpasses in the previous Fernandez administration, is forging ahead, with the support of the government. The proposal is to build the first 14km line linking Villa Mella to Centro de los Heroes.
Pena is also responsible for the construction of the La Isabela-Joaquin Balaguer airport, a fiasco costing over RD$2 billion that was intended to replace Herrera airport. Pena went ahead with the construction, despite technical opinions warning against the chosen site, and despite the fact that the required technical feasibility studies were never carried out. While that airport has not been able to start its operations, Santiago and La Romana private companies have inaugurated airports costing a third of what taxpayers have had to pay for the La Isabela-Joaquin Balaguer airport.
Meanwhile, the construction of the metro continues at full speed ahead. It has to be noted that the main investors in Clave Digital, the Hazoury group, are owners of a major local construction company, which has not benefited from metro subcontracting. Regardless, the points of view featured in the online publication present important red flags forecasting that the metro will cost many times what its promoters would like Dominicans to believe.
http://www.clavedigital.com/Portada/Articulo.asp?Id_Articulo=6523
http://www.clavedigital.com/Portada/Articulo.asp?Id_Articulo=2766
http://www.clavedigital.com/Portada/Articulo.asp?Id_Articulo=6517
http://www.clavedigital.com/Portada/Articulo.asp?Id_Articulo=2766