J. Raymond Watson, the engineer who established

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

's toll roads system, was born in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...

on September 7, 1935, lived in

Guaynabo, Puerto Rico Guaynabo (, ) is a Guaynabo barrio-pueblo, city and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality on the northeastern coastal plain of Puerto Rico. Located west of the capital San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan, east of Bayamón, Puerto Rico, Bayam� ...

and died March 24, 2020. With his wife Brunilda he had one son, John, and three grandchildren.

Education

After graduating from San Juan's Central High School in 1952, he obtained two Bachelor's degrees from the

University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez The University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (UPRM) or Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez (RUM) in Spanish (also referred to as Colegio and CAAM in allusion to its former name), is a Public university, public land-grant university in Mayagüez ...

, in Civil Engineering (Cum Laude) and in Mathematical Sciences (Magna Cum Laude) in 1956 before completing a Master's degree in Civil Engineering, with Honors, from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

(MIT) in 1958. After completing his education, he served as an assistant professor at the University of Puerto Rico School of Engineering.

Public service

Governor

Luis A. Ferré Don Luis Alberto Ferré Aguayo (February 17, 1904 October 21, 2003) was a Puerto Rican engineer, industrialist, politician, philanthropist, and patron of the arts. He was the governor of Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1973. He was the founder of the ...

recruited Watson to serve as Executive Director of Puerto Rico's Highways Authority from 1969 to 1972. He established what was then a revolutionary policy in Puerto Rico, the construction of toll roads in which user fees paid the cost of road-building. As a result, the construction of the expressway between Puerto Rico's two largest cities at the time, San Juan and Ponce, leapfrogged and was completed within several years, cutting travel time by two thirds, from almost four hours to one hour and fifteen minutes. After transforming Puerto Rico's road-building activities, Watson served as area director for the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the secretary of housing and u ...

from 1974 until he was recruited in 1977 by Governor

Carlos Romero Barceló Carlos Antonio Romero Barceló (September 4, 1932 – May 2, 2021) was a Puerto Rican politician who served as the governor of Puerto Rico from 1977 to 1985. He was the second governor to be elected from the New Progressive Party (PNP). He als ...

to serve as the president of the government-owned Puerto Rico Telephone Company until 1979. In 1978 he attempted unsuccessfully to sell the phone system to private enterprise.New York Times, March 16, 1978
/ref> In private practice, he established two engineering firms, Raymond Watson and Associates and Watson & Villate. He also headed Prescon Caribe Inc., Abarca Enterprises and served as President of the

Palmas del Mar Palmas del Mar is a beach resort community consisting of a country club, golf courses, tennis, a beach club, residences and a hotel. It is located in the municipality of Humacao, Puerto Rico, on the southeast corner of the island. Features Set ...

Company, a self-contained city-within-a-city in

Humacao, Puerto Rico Humacao () is a Humacao barrio-pueblo, city and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern coast of the island, north of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, Yabucoa; south of Naguabo, Puerto Rico, Naguabo; east of Las Pi ...

. Watson was retired at the time of his dying on March 24, 2020, but had remained an observer of Puerto Rico's political scene and his opinions were quoted frequently in island publications.

References

Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni 20th-century Puerto Rican engineers 20th-century American engineers People from San Juan, Puerto Rico University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez people 1935 births 2020 deaths 21st-century Puerto Rican engineers {{PuertoRico-bio-stub

Education

Public service

See also

References