Deteriorating Playa del Carmen Bridge Puts Pedestrians and Drivers at Risk

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The deteriorating condition of the vehicular bridge on Bulevar Playa del Carmen is endangering the safety of pedestrians and motorists who use it daily, according to a recent inspection.

During a tour of the bridge, reporters observed chunks of concrete from the structure on the pedestrian walkway and on the turnaround at Calle 2 Bis. The bridge also shows evident cracks and wear, which experts attribute to a lack of regular maintenance and excessive vehicle traffic.

For more than five years, architects and engineers have urged the federal government to perform consistent upkeep on the bridge, but no rehabilitation plans have been announced.

The 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) bridge, which handles over 28,000 vehicles daily, was built by Gutsa, S.A. de C.V. with reinforced hydraulic concrete. It includes entrance and exit ramps connecting major city roads from Avenida 28 de Julio to Avenida 11 Sur. Inaugurated in May 2011 by then-President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, the project cost an estimated 464 million pesos (about $23 million USD at the time).

Meanwhile, drivers and pedestrians fear that continued deterioration could lead to an accident, a risk that grows each day given the bridge’s current state.