Japan to finance fifth bridge over Kozama River

SANTO DOMINGO – The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will participate in the construction of the fifth bridge over the Kozama River to speed up transportation between the National District and Santo Domingo East.

The Minister of Public Works and Communications, Deligne Ascención, received a visit from Sakaguchi Kota in his office to analyze the project.

Minister Ascención said that the issues discussed concerned the pre-feasibility study and subsequent design of a bridge over the Ozama River, which will connect Manuela Díez Street of the capital’s Social Improvement Department and the Ozama project in Santo Domingo del Este, Puerto Rico, as well as technical cooperation in the maintenance of bridges, especially rural bridges.

“We very much hope to continue the cooperation that the Japanese people have provided to the Dominican Republic for 60 years through the International Cooperation Agency,” he said.

For his part, Cota said that through the six decades of cooperation with the country, JICA “has always attached great importance to human resource training because without this, no structure can function.”

“We stress the importance of improving the bridge structure because the city of Santo Domingo is developing at a very fast pace,” he believes.

The meeting was also attended by Huáscar Peña, director of the Japan International Cooperation Agency’s projects in the country, and Ángel Tejeda, the deputy secretary of planning and technical regulation. Luis Bastardo, from the road maintenance department, Elías Santana, from the road infrastructure department, and Romer Pérez, the director of the bridge department.