Dominican Republic - Public Tender Autopista del Ambar
Project Description - Autopista del Ambar
The Autopista del Ambar will connect Santiago de los Caballeros and Puerto Plata through a modern and safe 32-kilometer, four-lane highway, reducing travel time to less than 30 minutes between the two cities and approximately two hours from Santo Domingo, the capital. The project will improve regional mobility, enhance road safety, and strengthen the economic and tourism development of the northern region.
The highway will not only reduce travel time but is also expected to create a more integrated metropolitan corridor encompassing Santiago, Moca, and Puerto Plata. For the tourism sector, particularly in Puerto Plata, the Autopista del Ámbar offers a critical advantage—direct access to two major airports: Cibao International Airport in Santiago and Gregorio Luperón International Airport in Puerto Plata.
It will create a strategic road corridor linking the region to the Atlantic coast-boosting hotel, real estate, manufacturing free zones and logistics investments in Puerto Plata. Santiago de los Caballeros is the second-largest province in the Dominican Republic in terms of economy and population and Puerto Plata hosts the country's second-largest tourism hub and the main city on the northern coast.
Bidding Process
The RD-Vial Trust is overseeing the development of the Autopista del Ámbar, a strategic 32.7-kilometer highway aimed at improving road infrastructure between Santiago de los Caballeros and Puerto Plata. Backed by a government initial investment of 8,500 million of Dominican pesos, the project is set to address long-standing connectivity challenges between two of the country's most economically and strategically important provinces.
The Autopista del Ámbar highway is being developed through the RD-Vial Trust (Fideicomiso RD-Vial) — a government-established infrastructure trust responsible for managing national road projects and toll revenues.
This structure is not a public-private partnership (PPP). Instead, it operates under a fiduciary trust model, where the Dominican government channels public funds and toll income into a dedicated, legally protected vehicle for road infrastructure development.