Puerto Morelos, Q.R. — The main pier of the town of Puerto Morelos is nearly done. The wood structure, which is being rebuilt, is 85 percent complete.
Axel Alejandro Rosado Ramírez, the Municipal Secretary of Public Works, says the overall progress is 85 percent. He reported that work is currently being done on the flooring, a stage in which 40 percent has already been finished.
Work is currently being done on finishing the dock’s decking with the installation of 2×8 inch planks. The project is at a municipal cost of 6.7 million pesos. The work has been financed with resources from the Trust for the Administration of the Right to Environmental Sanitation, created together with hotels and civil society to guarantee the transparent management of the funds raised.
According to the plan, the final length of the pier will be 113.70 meters with a width of 4.20 meters, larger than the original.
Rosado Ramíre recalled the pier rehabilitation project was one of the first commitments that the Mayor made with fishermen, nautical service providers and the tourism sector.
“The work was not carried out earlier due to bureaucratic issues that prevented the intervention of the municipality because the dock is located in a federal area,” he said. However, in September, the project was finally started.
Mario Salinas Castro, the General Director of Public Works, explained that the entire dock is being built with regional wood including piles, skirts and planks. Chicozapote was used because it is highly resistant to water.
He reported a total of 90 chicozapote piles were driven with variable heights ranging from 9.50 meters to 12.40 meters. Only in the moorings was stainless steel used in parts such as studs, bolts and washers.
The rebuilding project is a little less than four months along. Mayor Blanca Merari Tziu Muñoz started the rehabilitation of the fishing pier, which, combined with a lack of general maintenance, had been badly damaged by Hurricane Zeta in October 2020.
Weather permitting, the newly rebuilt Puerto Morelos fishing and boat pier is expected to be finished this week.
