Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo — Mexico’s Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) has approved a controversial road project through the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve but is requiring the army to submit a formal management plan for the area, according to a final resolution issued last week.
The project, called “Camino artesanal ‘Puerta al Mar’ de Felipe Carrillo Puerto-Vigía Chico,” is being built by the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) through its Engineering Group “Felipe Ángeles.” The 54.6-kilometer road will rehabilitate and widen an existing dirt path through the UNESCO World Heritage site.
Semarnat’s Directorate General of Environmental Impact and Risk (Dgira) issued the positive resolution after reviewing the project from its submission in December 2024 through its conclusion in April 2026. The agency confirmed that all environmental conservation requirements were met and that “there is no risk” from the construction.
According to the resolution, Sedena stated that “it is not necessary to remove forest vegetation within the area corresponding to the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, because the rehabilitation and widening of the road will not exceed what is currently used as a road. Only in the section of the path to the dock will it be necessary to remove some elements corresponding to coconut palms (an invasive species).”
The road begins at the asphalt transition on Diagonal 63 Street in the Emiliano Zapata neighborhood and runs to chainage 54+669.00. It will consist of two concrete wheel tracks, each 5 meters wide and 0.15 meters thick, over 32.07 kilometers. The slabs will be 3 meters long by 0.90 meters wide, with regional limestone flagstone set in concrete in the intermediate strips, and a brick-imitation stamp every 200 meters.
As conditions of approval, Semarnat requires Sedena to:
- Prepare and submit to Dgira a regulation approved by the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp) for the operation of social, economic, and ecological activities in the transfer area, consistent with the Limits of Acceptable Change study for the reserve.
- Build a boom gate and a palapa-style access booth at the boundary of the transfer area to control vehicle and visitor entry.
- Adapt, expand, rehabilitate, or build an additional module at the Conanp station known as “Santa Teresa” to increase staffing capacity and strengthen supervision and surveillance in the reserve.
Once Sedena complies with the resolution, the next step will be opening the road to the public and offering tourist services in Vigía Chico.
