The Ministry of Public Works says that the Navarette-Puerto Plata road is “almost” finished. The main land connection between Santiago, Montecristi and Puerto Plata had been under expansion and repairs for more than five years. The road is 46.8 km. At some stretches, it was expanded from two to four lanes. Public Works Minister Ramón Pepín said it would be fully in operation before May 2020.
“This road is going to have an impact not only on Puerto Plata, but on all the region. Once it is finished, it will benefit production and tourism not only in Puerto Plata, but the entire region,” he stressed. He said farm and agribusiness will benefit with time and cost savings for transporting their goods to and from the Puerto Plata port.
He said a traffic distributor was built in the proximity of Lifestyle Holiday (Cofresí) to facilitate flow traffic. The paving of the road is in its final stage. In several road sections only the vertical and horizontal signage is missing.
The Ministry of Public Works allotted the work to Consorcio Vial del Atlántico, which subcontracted three companies. Ecocisa is responsible for the section from the Navarrete roundabout to Llanos de Pérez. Hormicondo was entrusted with Llanos de Pérez to Las Avispas, and Constructora Mar with the Las Avispas to the entrance to Puerto Plata.
The road is designed for a maximum speed of 80 kms/hour and a travel time of approximately 35 minutes.
The expansion of the road was a commitment the Medina administration had made to the promoters of the Amber Cove Cruise Ship Terminal in Maimón. The port was opened in 2015. It took the Medina government another five years to complete the road.
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Ministry of Public Works
25 February 2020