Dominican Government Opens Tender for the Amber Highway

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. – The Dominican Government has announced an estimated investment of US$500 million for the development of the Ámbar Highway, a strategic infrastructure project that will connect the provinces of Santiago and Puerto Plata through a modern, technically complex roadway. 

The project will be executed under a public-private partnership (PPP) model, with its first phase financed through this mechanism due to the area’s topographic conditions and the number of tunnels required.  

UPDATE

The Dominican Government officially published on November 27, 2025, the tender for the design and construction of the Amber Highway, with an estimated value of RD$ 32 billion (equivalent to US$ 533 million). The deadline for submitting proposals is March 20, 2026. 

All interested parties must register in the State Suppliers Registry (Registro de Proveedores del Estado).

Expected Impact

The new roadway will reduce travel time between Puerto Plata —the leading tourism hub on the northern coast and the country’s top cruise port, with over 1.6 million passengers between January and September 2025— and Santiago, the Dominican Republic’s second most important city, from 1.5 hours to just 30 minutes. It will also shorten the trip between Santo Domingo and Puerto Plata from nearly three hours to approximately two. 

Strategic and Economic Importance of Santiago and Puerto Plata 

The connection between Santiago de los Caballeros and Puerto Plata carries multiple layers of significance—historical, economic, and strategic—for the Dominican Republic. 

Santiago de los Caballeros 

Santiago is the country’s second most important city and the heart of the Cibao Valley, one of the most fertile agricultural regions in the Dominican Republic. Santiago contributes 14% of the Dominican Republic’s GDP. It is also home to four major industrial free zones, and its free-zone operator, Corporación de Zona Franca Santiago (Santiago Free Trade Zone Corporation), was recognized as the “Best Industrial Free Zone in Latin America and the Caribbean 2024.” 

Historically, its location—linking the agricultural north with industrial and market hubs—has been pivotal. Today, Santiago is a center for manufacturing, commerce, financial services, and logistics, making it a strategic node for the country’s internal development. 

Puerto Plata 

Located on the country’s northern Atlantic coast, Puerto Plata is one of the Caribbean’s pioneering tourism destinations and a rapidly expanding cruise port. In the first five months of 2025, the Amber Cove cruise terminal received more than 641,000 passengers, accounting for approximately 39% of cruise arrivals to the Dominican Republic. 

The Puerto Plata region combines sun-and-beach tourism with nautical activities (kite-surfing, wind-surfing in Cabarete), cruise operations, as well as port commerce and maritime logistics. This diversification makes it strategic for capturing growing international tourism demand, strengthening maritime connectivity, and supporting coastal import/export. In addition, by enhancing transport infrastructure toward the interior (such as the connection to Santiago), Puerto Plata’s role as a logistics corridor and regional hub is further reinforced. In this context, the Punta Bergantín project (integrating tourism, innovation, film, technology, and residential spaces within one ecosystem) represents a key bet for the sustainable development of the northern coastline, boosting investment and job creation in the area. 

Importance of Connectivity Between Both Cities 

The infrastructure that will link Santiago and Puerto Plata will significantly reduce travel times, facilitating the movement of goods, people, and services between a major industrial and agricultural center (Santiago) and an international tourism and port hub (Puerto Plata). This integration promotes economic decentralization, enhances regional competitiveness, attracts public and private investment, and maximizes the benefits derived from tourism, logistics, and domestic trade. 

Pellerano & Herrera will continue monitoring this process and will publish updates as the authorities release official information. We invite stakeholders interested in participating in the tender to contact our team for comprehensive legal support throughout all phases of the bidding process and contractual structuring. 

For legal assistance with this tender, contact us at [email protected] or +1 809-541-5200.