U.S. to help Puerto Rico restructure highway agency

The U.S. Department of Transportation has entered a memorandum of understanding to assist the Puerto Rico government with reducing its highway project delivery times and restructuring its Highway and Transportation Administration.    The U.S. Transportation Department has entered a memorandum of understanding to assist the Puerto Rico government with reducing its highway project delivery times and restructuring its Highway and Transportation Administration.
   In addition, the improvements will allow the Caribbean island nation to more efficiently use federal funds for future highway projects, DOT said.
   “We are dedicated to helping advance projects that will create jobs and contribute significantly to the recovery of Puerto Rico’s economy,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, who signed the MOU with Federal Highway Administrator Gregory Nadeau, Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro García Padilla and Puerto Rico Transportation Secretary Miguel Torres Díaz on Thursday.
   The MOU provides federal technical assistance to ensure that Puerto Rico’s transportation officials are able to efficiently access about $400 million in previously obligated federal funds for infrastructure projects on the island. The agreement is also expected to improve Puerto Rico’s billing procedures by using electronic funds transfer and reducing the time it takes to pay contractors.
   The agreement will also require the Puerto Rico government to hire a management consultant to “assist with streamlining project delivery, bolstering construction management and improving engineers’ estimates – which are key to ensuring that bid prices for federal-aid road projects are reasonable,” DOT said.