The president of the Colegio Dominicano de Ingenieros, Arquitectos y Agrimensores (CODIA), which groups engineers and architects in the DR, said it has proof of RD$35 million overvaluing of a stretch of the overpass over 27 de Febrero expressway. Likewise, Engineer Martin Concepción Muñoz says 80-90% of government large projects were overvalued. He says he has proof that the government paid RD$31 million in excess transport charges for asphalt used to pave several highways and roads. Concepción spoke in a press conference responding to the Minister’s challenge of producing proof of his corruption while in office. Concepción said that the government could have saved 18-40% if tenders were held for the large infrastructure projects carried out by the government. He said several of these works have structural problems. Regarding the overpass stretch, he said just the area between Calle Leopoldo Navarro and Calle Dr. Delgado the government paid RD$147,706 million for what should have cost at market prices RD$117,658 million. He explained that the government preferred to pay RD$31.9 million more in transport charges in order to use asphalt produced in a determined plant. Excessive transport charges made much more costly the construction of the Dajabón, La Vega, Moca, Villa Trina-Moca, Cruce Otra Banda-Cruce Verón-Punta Cana, Sabana de la Mar-Miches, Samana, San Francisco de Macorís and Santiago. Concepción said that the large government projects did not pass by the Ministry’s Budget and Supervision Department, ever since Diandino Peña was appointed minister. "Through those departments a single budget, documents, studies, plans, budgetary allotments of those works have not passed; they were left to a special unit, managed directly by the Minister of Public works."
