The Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust provides details about the construction of Laboratory Road and the Environmental Research Laboratory

San Juan, Puerto Rico – January 21, 2016 – The Chief Executive Officer of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust, Lucy Crespo, announced today the beginning of construction of Laboratory Road, the main boulevard that will provide access to Science City (Ciudad de las Ciencias), as well as the reconstruction of what will be the Environmental Research Laboratory of the Environmental Quality Board.

Science City, which will house research and technology facilities, will help boost Puerto Rico’s competitiveness and excellence within the global knowledge economy, confirmed the executive. According to Crespo, the Laboratory Road project consists of the construction of a two-lane road stretching from an intersection at De Diego Ave. to an intersection at Boulevard de las Ciencias (or Science Blvd.), near Puerto Rico Highway 21.

“The project, which will be complete within a year, will include improvements to De Diego Ave. in Río Piedras and will open important access routes at the south end of Science City grounds, so as to broaden the possibilities for future developments,” said Crespo. Governor Alejandro García Padilla accompanied the executive during the groundbreaking ceremony for the project and revealed that the main street represented an investment of $10 million.

Likewise, Crespo explained that the Puerto Rico Environmental Research Laboratory will be a first-rate facility that will house laboratories belonging to the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board (EQB). Once inaugurated, the Laboratory will be a world-class facility outfitted with the latest equipment, instruments, and resources, thus optimizing the EB’s capabilities. The building will also be used by the Trust to drive scientific and environmental research on the Island. The remodeled building will use energy efficient technologies for the performance of analysis to establish environmental parameters. Also, products and new materials will be validated and qualified at the new facility.

For his part, the President of the Environmental Quality Board, Mr. Weldin F. Ortiz Franco, said that “With these new facilities the Board will have a custom-made work space to address our particular needs and requirements, so as to carry out the tasks performed by our staff in a more agile, rigorous and accurate manner. Our mission is to perform scientific research on environmental issues to better ensure protection of the citizen’s health and wellbeing, as well as the preservation of our natural and environmental resources.” Ortiz Franco added that, “Similarly, we strive to ensure that our technicians’ findings possess the necessary scientific foundation to allow us to comply with the environmental public policy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Both entities seek to maximize the country’s resources so as to contribute to the development of the scientific community, by promoting research.”

Science City is part of the Knowledge Corridor, the Trust’s emblematic project. It integrates the Río Piedras campus of the University of Puerto Rico, the Medical Sciences campus, The Medical Center (Centro Médico), the Río Piedras Botanical Garden, the Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Biomolecular Science Laboratory.

Crespo explained that, “the Trust’s main mission is to facilitate Puerto Rico’s insertion into the knowledge economy. Our vision is to become an internationally recognized center of scientific activity, one that integrates our science and technology ecosystem. As a center for multidisciplinary and international collaboration, we seek to inspire new ideas, create patents for inventions, and create businesses that sprout from a vibrant environment in which one can innovate, work, and live.” According to Crespo, the infrastructure that will be built in the heart of Science City seeks to, “Achieve synchronicity between the government, academia, and the private sector, promoting the Island’s competitiveness in the global arena.”

As per the Master Plan of this science park, approved in 2004, the construction of Laboratory Road will create the infrastructure needed for all future developments. The final project is expected to be inaugurated in October 2016.