President Abinader inaugurates the first stretch of road between Barahona and Enriquillo

By the Presidency of the Dominican Republic

This is a machine translation of the original press release issued in Spanish. 

Enriquillo, Barahona.- As part of the policies implemented by the government in terms of infrastructure to advance the development of the southern region, President Luis Abinader inaugurated this Wednesday the first stretch of road between Barahona and Enriquillo, which includes the Mirador San Rafael, the Enriquillo Viewpoint, the bridge over the Maniel River and the paving of the section, which covers about 20.5 kilometers.

During the event, the president stated that these two days that he will be in the Enriquillo region are of special significance for the south, which will go from being the deep south to the fertile south, due to the great significant changes that are coming.

He explained that with the road development that is being carried out in his government, together with the Enriquillo to Pedernales highway, which is under construction, and the Azua bypass already in operation and soon the Baní circulation, which is already under construction, the Head of State considered that it will be possible to save approximately an hour and a half in destination from Santo Domingo to Pedernales and vice versa.

"And why is this important? Because it is an hour and a half for one of the destinations that will see, in terms of the region, the greatest economic growth in the Dominican Republic this year," highlighted the president.

He reiterated that tourism will be the driving force for the development of this entire region, which includes Pedernales, Barahona and the provinces of Bahoruco and Independencia.

Likewise, he said that these works are connected, in addition to all agricultural communication, and are fundamental for the development of the entire area and that is why he has pressed and supported the completion of everything.

Complete development of the deep south

The Deputy Minister of Works Supervisor and Inspector, Roberto Herrera, stated that the reconstruction and modernization of the Barahona-Enriquillo highway, which today is inaugurated in its first stage, constitutes a fundamental link in the investment plan that is being carried out to develop the hub. tourist of Bahía de las Águilas and Cabo Rojo in Pedernales.

He also said that the modernization of the highway has been carried out by the construction company Inversores del Caribe (IDC), for an amount that exceeds 1.5 billion pesos.

He reported that the complete intervention of the highway contracted to this company covers the reconstruction of 45.5 kilometers of two lanes of highway, with a road width of 3.65 meters and a buffer walk on each side of 1.5 meters, fully paved, which will be delivered in its entirety in the next three months.

For his part, the mayor of the municipality of Barahona, Mictor Fernández, on behalf of the 54 mayors of the Enriquillo region, thanked the president for the inaugurated work. Likewise, he highlighted the attention that President Abinader paid to the region, for the complete development of the deep south.

The work consists of the reconstruction and readjustment of some road sections, which include bridges, as well as the improvement of mountain slopes in an area of high rainfall, in addition to an efficient drainage system.

This great project, together with the delivery of the Enriquillo-Pedernales and Cabo Rojo-Cueva de Pescadores section, both in the advanced process of completion, will reduce the arrival time from Barahona to the beautiful beaches of the area, guaranteeing the flow of motorists, tourist buses and cargo in safe conditions, with orientation signs and modern road elements.

President Abinader was accompanied by the Minister of the Presidency, Joel Santos; the governor of Barahona, Genara González Marmolejos; the municipal mayor of Enriquillo, Heriberto Méndez and the deputy for Barahona, Moisés Ayala.