Cancun, Q.R. — The highly-anticipated Nichupté vehicular bridge over the Cancun lagoon is averaging 90 percent complete. As of the end of June, roads were 84% complete, federal highways 92% complete, rural and feeder roads 98% complete and highways 94% complete, with an overall average of 90%.
Once finished, the long-awaited project will connect downtown Cancun with the busy hotel zone. The 8.8 kilometer-long bridge will offer another traffic alternative to and from the Cancun Hotel Zone in addition to the only way in and out now, which is Kukulcan Boulevard.
The new overpass system will connect to the Urban Zone of the mainland and to the Kabah interchange where Bonampak Avenue, Rodrigo Gómez Avenue and Luis Donaldo Colosio Boulevard meet. The bridge will have a posted speed limit of 80 km/h.
A second interchange of the overpass in the east at the Cancun Hotel Zone connects to Kukulkán Boulevard at approximately at kilometer 13 near Kukulkán Plaza. The project is under the direction of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation (SICT).
According to Jorge Nuño Lara, the Secretaría de Infraestructura, Comunicaciones y Transportes (SICT), “this particular bridge, as it crosses the lagoon area, uses a special technique called Top Down, minimizing environmental impact.”
He explained that the Semi-Top-Down construction system with Jack-Up or barges is also being developed and implemented on the bridge’s 6.72 km stretch of water, the longest section of the project. It typically consists of three supports that anchor a floating deck to the seabed; the deck moves on these supports, positioning itself at sea level.
“These part, the metal arches are 72.3% complete due to the well-known problem of karstism. Karstism keeps appearing and we continue to have a karst problem,” he indicated.
The Nichupté vehicular bridge project was awarded to company ICA with an investment cost of more than 7 billion pesos. Nuño Lara said despite some setbacks, the bridge is still on scheduled to be operational before the end of the year.
