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DTOP warns maintenance shortfalls as committee reviews FY2026-27 budget
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Summary
DTOP Secretary Edwin González Montalvo told the House Finance Committee the department faces a large maintenance funding gap — the draft budget includes $12M for island-wide road maintenance while the agency estimates a $200M annual minimum and identified about 700 landslides needing ~$280M in repairs over the quadrennium.
The House Finance Committee on April 14 heard a detailed presentation from Edwin González Montalvo, secretary of the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP) and executive director of the Autoridad de Carreteras y Transportación, on the agency’s fiscal and operational needs for fiscal year 2026–27.
González Montalvo told members the authority has its own certified fiscal plan under PROMESA and reported staffing totals and capital spending: about 793 employees at the road authority and 1,116 at DTOP overall, plans to recruit roughly 99 positions and a recent CAPEX disbursement run of roughly $246 million through February. He said cumulative disbursements since January 2025 top roughly $500 million.
The secretary emphasized a gap between the draft budget’s maintenance line and what the agency considers necessary. The draft allocates $12 million island-wide for routine road maintenance; DTOP said the realistic minimum to sustain recurring maintenance across 78 municipalities is closer to $200 million per year. That shortfall, the secretary warned, would constrain hiring, routine operations and the agency’s ability to meet legal obligations, including payment of judgments and environmental commitments.
DTOP highlighted a pressing backlog of landslide repairs. Officials said they have identified approximately 700 landslides and used an estimated average repair cost of about $400,000 per site, producing a total need near $280 million over the quadrennium. The department requested a $116 million special appropriation from the general fund to address “orphan” landslides that FEMA or federal sources do not cover.
On recovery projects tied to federal disaster funds, González Montalvo said FEMA has obligated about $715 million for multiple events (including María, earthquakes and Fiona), with roughly $328 million disbursed so far. He cautioned that rising construction costs require cost-alignment requests to FEMA and can delay moving projects from design into execution.
Members pressed the secretary for specific examples. The chair and DTOP staff discussed a landslide at the Paseo de la Tierra near the Capitol and the Tropical Medicine building; the agency said the site is monitored, is not an immediate safety hazard, has $11 million assigned from FEMA and an estimated $54.3 million current reprocurement cost.
González Montalvo repeatedly linked the department’s ability to meet service levels to approvals from the Fiscal Oversight Board (the “junta”), saying many reprogramming and supplemental requests are pending or were reduced. He urged the committee to consider reallocations and to protect recurring maintenance lines so the department can preserve road safety and continuity of services.
The committee did not take a vote; members asked the department for additional breakdowns and documents, including copies of letters to the Fiscal Oversight Board referenced during the hearing. The budget process continues ahead of the formal submission scheduled for May 8.
