Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — The National Fund for the Promotion of Tourism (Fonatur) has opened two additional lanes in the troubled highway area between Cancun and Playa del Carmen. On social media, the state governor, Carlos Joaquin, announced the opening of the lanes after months of traffic chaos due to a sinkhole.
“With this, vehicular traffic to four lanes is freed again and the traffic congestion that was suffered is avoided,” he said.
The sinkhole was reported earlier this year by motorists who located the long highway crack. Authorities investigating the crack found it was due to a geological fault.
In June, Federal Deputy Luis Alegre Salazar reported that the work to address the problem of cavities along the highway would include alternate detours to streamline vehicular traffic, adding that the highway crack, technically known as dome collapse, looks only like a crack on the surface, but in reality, he says it is about 120 meters long and is a risk that requires specialized attention.
For now, a two-lane roadway has been created to see traffic through while a permanent underground solution is generated. That additional roadwork, along with highway alterations for the Maya Train, will see the Cancun-Playa del Carmen stretch of highway congested for about two years.
