Cancun, Q.R. — Local residents are accusing the government of having a political agenda after inaugurating the Cancun bridge then closing it. Local officials inaugurated the highly-anticipated Nichupté lagoon vehicular bridge Saturday night.
On Monday, Governor Mara Lezama confirmed the bridge is not actually open or operational.
Following the inauguration of the Nichupté Vehicular Bridge led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, Governor Mara Lezama announced that the bridge will be opened to traffic once a series of technical and operational tests are completed to ensure road safety.
Governor Lezama explained that the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT) is carrying out final adjustments to the bridge including the placement of road studs, traffic light tests and reversible lane simulations.
From the bridge Monday, she explained that the three lanes, one in each direction and one reversible, will be delimited by road studs attached with epoxy material, whose correct fixation requires a curing period before enabling vehicular traffic.
Mara Lezama showcased the bollards with their reflectors, the road studs and lane markers of different sizes and colors, depending on the lane they are in, which are also a safety feature.
She added that they are also finalizing details on the lighting fixtures and signage of the federally-owned bridge.
According to Lezama, these last steps are in response to logistical decisions made during the inaugural event, and that work is currently underway to install and reinforce some elements that were not previously placed.
However, Cancun residents were put off by the display of perpetual photo ops involving local politicians. “I came to see the bridge, not politicians,” one woman said, commenting that the bridge inauguration was only for “early campaigning”.
“I came to see the bridge and enjoy time with my family not to take pictures with politicians. It seemed like they were in the middle of a campaign. One of them was going from one side to the other waving and asking to have his picture taken,” said another Cancun who did not want to give his name.
“It’s unbelievable that they can’t stop campaigning for even a single day. It was an event to celebrate an important project with the presence of President Claudia Sheinbaum, not for them to promote themselves. Their interest in the people seemed very fake,” another person commented on social media regarding the May 2 inauguration.
“Everyone who wants to be governor or mayor was there. It seemed like they were competing to see who could take the most pictures with people . It’s sad that they even turn an inauguration into a campaign event,” someone else posted online.
According to the SICT, the bridge is toll-free and considered the second longest in Latin America over a body of water.
During the May 2 ribbon-cutting ceremony led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, Jesús Esteva Medina, who heads the SICT, said the 11.2 kilometer-long bridge came in at a final cost of 10.3 billion pesos, of which 3.8 billion pesos were allocated during this administration.
The bridge has three lanes, one in each direction and one reversible lane, and a two-way bike path as well as a 5-meter clearance structure in the navigation channel for the passage of vessels.
The new lagoon bridge connects the residential area of Cancun with the hotel zone in 10 minutes, a trip that took up to an hour. An average annual daily traffic volume of 12,000 vehicles is projected. The government has not set a date for its operation.
