Diario Libre announces that the Fernandez government is giving priority to several mega projects. These include the allocation of RD$1.8 billion to the construction of the rapid-transport system entrusted to the newly created Oficina para el Reordenamiento del Transporte (OPRET) headed by engineer Diandino Pena. This is in addition to the RD$725 million assigned in the 2005 budget. As Domingo Abreu reports in Hoy newspaper, the metro’s original US$326.6 million cost has increased to US$700 million in less than a year, with the km/unit cost going from US$32.6 million in February 2005 to US$50 million by December 2005.
Despite reports that PRD congressmen would not vote in favor of the metro budget, work has continued at a fast pace on the underground tunnels for the first line of the rapid transport system connecting Villa Mella with Ave. Maximo Gomez, causing traffic problems along this main commercial avenue.
Yesterday, PRD deputies asked that funds allocated to the construction of the Metro in the 2006 Budget – approximately RD$1.835 billion – should be withdrawn from the project. According to Diario Libre, a spokesman for the PRD believes that this is not a priority for the country and that those resources could be allocated to municipalities, health and education.
For his part, PRSC deputy Ramon Rogelio Genao has said the budget should be thoroughly analyzed, not only in the amounts assigned to the Metro, but also the revisions in allocations to education and health. “The fact that this amount of money is included for a project that is not considered a priority by the population, reflects the present authorities’ style of government, and embarking on the project without resources assigned in the current budget shows the way that this government acts”, said Genao.
Other mega projects are the electricity highway from Santo Domingo-Santiago, the Coral highway linking San Pedro de Macoris with Higuey, the expansion of the San Cristobal-Bani highway, the northern bypass highway around Santiago, aqueducts in Higuey, Nagua, the northwest and Barahona-Bahoruco. Others include the Pinalito hydroelectric project and the Azua II irrigation channel.