Cataño touts optimal performance on reconstruction projects

Cataño Mayor Julio Alicea Vasallo

By THE STAR STAFF

The Municipality of Cataño announced on Tuesday that as of the close of the fourth quarter of 2025, it maintained a 100% Recovery and Execution Index (REI) for the fifth consecutive quarter, along with a 100% Construction Index (CCI) for its reconstruction projects related to Hurricane Maria.

The combination of indicators positions Cataño to become the first municipality in Puerto Rico to complete 100% of the projects awarded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following the 2017 disaster.

Currently, the Cataño is managing 62 permanent construction projects, with a total estimated cost of $28,459,712, distributed among the bidding phase, construction and completed projects. The municipality has maintained a pace of execution that, quarter after quarter, demonstrates that internal coordination and orderly processes are as important as the availability of funds, Mayor Julio Alicea Vasallo noted.

The mayor emphasized that the results are the product of a sustained strategy of planning, interdepartmental coordination, and disciplined compliance with state and federal requirements. “Despite all the market challenges, the low participation of contractors, the failed auctions, and the difficulties in accessing capital, in Cataño we made the decision not to stop,” Alicea Vasallo said. “The key has been strict compliance and the integration of all municipal departments around a single work plan.”