Spotlight: Abinader's infra plans for the Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic’s president-elect Luis Abinader will make use of public-private partnerships (PPPs) to develop the country’s 2020-24 infrastructure plan, which will likely focus on water and transportation. 

Construction of dams, aqueducts and other water projects will require an estimated 180bn pesos (US$3.5bn), according to his government plan.

Transportation projects include monorail lines for capital Santo Domingo and Santiago.

Abinader, of the opposition Partido Revolucionario Moderno (PRM) party, won 53% of the votes in Sunday’s presidential election, according to early results.

While votes are yet to be confirmed, the winner’s main rivals – Gonzalo Castillo of the ruling Partido de la Liberación Dominicana party, who obtained 37% of the votes, and former president Leonel Fernández of the Fuerza del Pueblo party, who won about 9% of the votes – have conceded defeat. 

BNamericas takes a look at the infrastructure agenda of the center-left PRM party’s candidate, who will begin his four-year term on August 16. 

INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM

One of Abinader’s priorities is to boost formal employment, and the government will aim to create 600,000 new jobs in four years through a national infrastructure plan with help from the private sector.

The projects include aqueducts and dams, ports, parking lots and other projects for public services. 

In the border area, the plan is to launch a “massive” public investment program in infrastructure to create employment and incentivize the economy. 

WATER SECTOR

Almost half of the Dominican Republic’s population does not have access to clean water, the document says, adding that more than 76% of municipalities suffer from a shortage of adequate sewer systems and wastewater treatment plants.

Projected investment is broken down into four main types of infrastructure projects. 

The biggest investment will be allotted to the construction and conclusion of eight dams, which will require some 60bn pesos. 

Another 41bn pesos will go to 46 new projects and 11 rehabilitation and expansion projects for sewage and sanitation, while almost 47bn pesos are needed to improve the country’s irrigation systems, according to the plan.

And almost 30bn pesos will be earmarked for 58 new aqueduct projects and more than 100 rehabilitation and modernization projects to supply clean water. 

 

TRANSPORTATION 

Entitled transportation plan is threefold. 

The first involves a new PPP law to boost investment in highway infrastructure and transportation systems in the main urban areas. 

The second involves the construction of the first stage of two monorail lines for the cities of Santo Domingo and Santiago, construction of which is expected to begin in 2020 or 2021 with either public funds or under a PPP. 

While the plan does not provide many details of the projects, it says the idea is to build a mass transit hybrid or electric BRT system, a logistics hub and new cruise terminals, among others. 

The last flank involves the restructuring of the transportation institutional system, which is made up of 11 entities and three safety agencies. 

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Photo credit: PRM