Bacalar, Quintana Roo — Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources has authorized the Secretariat of National Defense to reconstruct the Casa Bacalar pier in the southern part of the Mexican Caribbean.
The project is planned in two distinct phases: construction and operational lifespan. The first phase is expected to last 1.5 months (45 days), covering equipment mobilization, installation of turbidity barriers, dismantling of the existing structure, waste management, driving new piles, assembling the upper structure, and applying finishes. The timeline is designed to minimize daily disturbance to the lagoon.
The second phase projects a 50-year useful life, based on the choice of exceptionally durable materials. Chicozapote wood (Manilkara zapota), known for its resistance to rot in aquatic environments, combined with 316 stainless steel fasteners, is expected to provide extended durability with proper preventive maintenance.
The work involves replacing, rehabilitating, and improving an existing pier and three palapas that have reached the end of their operational and structural life. The total area covers 278.54 square meters in the municipality of Bacalar.
Technically classified as a replacement, rehabilitation, and improvement of maritime-terrestrial service infrastructure, the project focuses on the tourism and institutional services sectors. It is not new construction but a comprehensive renovation of existing structures.
The infrastructure is located in the Federal Maritime-Terrestrial Zone of Bacalar Lagoon and currently shows deterioration of support elements (wooden piles), structural collapse of vegetative-material roofs, and corrosion of fasteners. This condition has turned the original structure into an active environmental liability. The rehabilitation cost is approximately 2.5 million pesos (about $125,000 USD).
