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State moves forward with development of Cancun’s Nichupté vehicular bridge

Cancun, Q.R. — State congress, headed by Carlos Joaquin, has given the go-ahead for the development of the Nichupté Vehicular Bridge between the Cancun Hotel Zone and the mainland.

The green light announcement was made after a weekend session. The construction of the bridge will involve the Ministry of Finance and Planning (SEFIPLAN) and the Agency for Strategic Projects of the State of Quintana Roo (AGEPRO) under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) scheme.

Yohanet Torres Muñoz, head of SEFIPLAN clarified that “a PPP is not a public debt, but a contract where the private sector assumes the investment and operating costs in exchange for a consideration that the state will pay over time.

“This consideration is subject to the private party delivering the project under the agreed conditions and meeting performance standards. In search of the best financial solution, the income generated by the project will be used to cover its payment together with a percentage by the federal participants.”

The bridge would see a new 8.6-kilometer connection between downtown Cancun and the Hotel Zone. It would create travel time savings and costs, as well as provide an evacuation solution for the latter in case of emergencies and disasters.

In their announcement, the government said the next step is to open the international bidding process to contract its construction and proper operation and maintenance for a period of 30 years.

“The objective of the tender is to guarantee the quality of the service at all times, as well as the use of the most environmentally friendly technologies. We estimate that the construction time can be optimized up to a period of 18 months,” Eduardo de Jesús Ortiz Jasso, director of AGEPRO mentioned.

The government reports that of the estimated investment amount, 57 percent will be covered by the developer (private company) and 43 percent through federal support.

“The Nichupté Vehicular Bridge is an opportunity project for economic reactivation for Quintana Roo, a generator of opportunities that will allow the granting of direct and indirect jobs,” Torres Muñoz added.

The Ministry of Public Works would oversee the work carried out by the private company.