The Financial Oversight and Management Board (JSF) approved several budget requests from the Puerto Rico government that will allow more than $114 million to be directed to road repaving and rehabilitation, plus another $53 million for economic development incentives. Governor Jenniffer González Colón said the authorizations will allow infrastructure projects to continue and address needs identified in various municipalities.
According to the JSF's communication to Orlando Rivera Berríos, executive director of the Office of Management and Budget (OGP), the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP) will receive two allocations totaling $114,446,957. One, for $34,927,484, corresponds to the second round of the pavement rehabilitation program carried out through agreements with municipalities. The other, $79,519,473, is for a third round of work.
The funds will pay for asphalt repairs and rehabilitation of state road segments identified as priorities. In total, 45 projects covering approximately 291 kilometers of roads in 40 municipalities are planned, along with work on the Ruta Panorámica. "We continue advancing the necessary steps so that available resources translate into improvements for our people," the governor said in written statements.
The new allocation adds to earlier amounts: in April this year the JSF authorized $94 million for road repairs and rehabilitation, on top of $41 million previously assigned.