Audit Finds $494.8 Million in Irregularities for Cancun’s Delayed Nichupté Bridge

Cancún, Quintana Roo — Federal auditors have identified irregularities worth 494.8 million pesos (approximately $494.8 million) in the construction of Cancun’s long-delayed Nichupté Bridge, a major infrastructure project intended to relieve traffic congestion in the city’s hotel zone.

The findings, part of the 2024 Public Account audit by Mexico’s Superior Audit Office of the Federation (ASF), examined a sample of 2.593 billion pesos, representing 93 percent of the analyzed funds. The irregularities stem from discrepancies between the volumes of work paid for in project estimates and the technical documentation reviewed by the auditors.

The Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT) stated the findings do not represent definitive financial damage to the state and are part of the ordinary audit process. However, the report adds to a series of questions surrounding the project, which has faced constant delays, budget adjustments, and public pressure to finish.

The 11.2-kilometer vehicular bridge over the Nichupté Lagoon was conceived as an alternative route to ease traffic on Kukulcán Boulevard, the main access road to Cancun’s hotel district. Construction began in 2022 with a promised completion date of late 2023, but the inauguration has been postponed over ten times. Opening dates have shifted to December 2024, then January 2025, with the most recent estimate suggesting it could be ready between March and April 2026.

The delays have impacted urban mobility, tourism, and local businesses, which view the project as key for better connectivity, shorter travel times, and alternative routes during weather emergencies.

Originally awarded through public tender to the company ICA in 2022 for 5.57 billion pesos, the project’s cost has steadily increased. By the first quarter of 2024, with physical progress at 42 percent, the cost had risen to 7.847 billion pesos. By the end of the fourth quarter of 2025, the projected budget reached 10.899 billion pesos—a 95 percent increase from the initial cost. An additional 2.929 billion pesos were allocated in 2025 alone. A report for the first quarter of 2026 is pending to determine if costs have changed again.

The SICT said it has 30 business days to submit technical, contractual, and volumetric documentation to the ASF to support the executed amounts. The audit office then has up to 120 business days to analyze the information and issue a determination on whether the irregularities are resolved or if legal responsibilities will be assigned.

The ministry maintained that in large-scale projects, documentary adjustments can arise from the construction process and must be formally integrated during the review. As the audit proceeds, the Nichupté Bridge remains a flagship project for federal and state administrations but also one under scrutiny for its financial impact and repeated schedule changes.