Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — More than a dozen blocks of central Playa del Carmen will have their excessive overhead wiring addressed. City Council says they are starting the identification and removal of unused wiring in 13 sections of the city.
Juan Novelo Zapata, City Hall Councilor, says the obsolete wiring will be taken down by their respective owners, which range from new Internet services to old television cable wiring.
He says the goal is to improve the urban image as well as safety during tropical storms. City Hall made the announcement after a Wednesday meeting with local service companies.
According to Novelo Zapata, a zone-by-zone strategy has been defined in which companies will have 15 days to address the observations made in each city quadrant.
“The commitment is clear, cables that are not identified or removed in a timely manner will be removed by the City Council,” he said noting that many of these lines are unused and create an image of disarray by becoming an urban spider web.
The wiring removal project will start on CTM Avenue to Aviación Avenue, covering the first quadrant of the city. Wire removal in each quadrant will last around two weeks, during which time the companies must inspect, remove or replace their wiring.
Novelo Zapata acknowledged the willingness of the companies that participated in the foot tours, but emphasized that it is essential that, in addition to complying with regulations, they maintain their infrastructure.
He also noted that new residential and commercial developments in Playa del Carmen already include underground infrastructure, so removing overhead wiring is a necessary measure consistent with the municipality’s orderly growth.
In July, a similar project was started in Cancun along Luis Donaldo Colosio Boulevard. Cancun Mayor Ana Paty Peralta said the main objective was to improve the urban image, however, the removal of the unused overhead wiring was also the start to an underground wiring project.
“We are supervising the coordinated work being done by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), the Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SICT) and the various internet and telephone service companies in our city to install the underground cabling,” she said regarding the July project.
Earlier this week, Playa del Carmen City Council members toured central Playa del Carmen with local services companies to clear out their excessive wiring. In both instances, it is the first step to decluttering the overhead system for preparation for an underground system.
