Integrated Planning Key to Infrastructure Competitiveness

Q: What services and infrastructure segments define ORVA Ingeniería today?

A: ORVA Ingeniería is a civil engineering services company focused primarily on infrastructure, particularly transportation infrastructure. We were founded in 1985 and are celebrating 41 years in the market. We participate throughout nearly the entire infrastructure project cycle, including feasibility studies, executive projects, engineering design, construction supervision, quality control, and project management. We also operate certified laboratories and advise public- and private-sector clients on public-private partnership projects. We do not carry out construction directly. Our role is to provide the technical oversight, engineering, and management required to ensure projects are properly designed and executed. 

Road infrastructure represents our strongest area of experience, particularly over the past two decades. We have also worked on water infrastructure, rail, trolleybus, and public transportation projects, as well as industrial developments. Our portfolio also includes more specialized assignments. For example, we are participating in the engineering supervision of Aztlán Parque Urbano in Mexico City. 

Q: How has Mexico’s infrastructure market changed over the past year, and what types of projects are demanding the most engineering expertise? 

A: Mexico’s infrastructure market is beginning to gain momentum as the federal administration enters its second year. The first year of a new government is typically focused on institutional adjustments, changes in decision-making structures and the continuation of projects already underway. The strongest investment cycle usually begins in the second year.

Transportation infrastructure is generating the greatest demand for engineering expertise. The government has announced major mixed-investment road packages, while railway development continues to attract the largest capital commitments. Rail projects are advancing across several corridors. The Buenavista-AIFA passenger line has entered operation, while work is progressing on the Mexico-Queretaro, Queretaro-Irapuato and Saltillo-Nuevo Laredo routes. Additional sections between Queretaro and San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi and Monterrey, and Irapuato and Guadalajara are also expected to move forward. These railway projects require extensive engineering capabilities, including studies, executive design, supervision, quality control, and project management. Their scale and technical complexity make rail the most significant infrastructure opportunity at present.

Road construction and modernization represent the second-largest area of activity. We expect both sectors to generate stronger demand during the second half of the year as announced projects move from planning into execution.

Q: Climate events, flooding, and extreme weather are becoming more relevant for infrastructure planning. How are these risks changing the way engineering firms design roads, drainage systems and urban infrastructure? 

A: Climate change is already modifying infrastructure design standards, particularly for road drainage systems. Regulations now require engineers to use longer return periods and account for more intense storms, which means designing culverts, longitudinal drainage works, and bridges with greater hydraulic capacity. Resilience has become a central design criterion. Infrastructure must be less vulnerable to extreme events and, when damage occurs, recover its functionality as quickly as possible. This applies not only to new projects, but also to the operation and maintenance of existing assets.

Maintenance is especially important. Drainage systems require regular cleaning and sediment removal to preserve their hydraulic capacity. More intense storms are occurring with greater frequency, so neglected infrastructure can fail even when the original design was adequate. Retrofitting existing roads and highways is more complex. Enlarging drainage structures may require changes to the road level or alignment, increasing costs, technical difficulty and disruption to traffic operations. These upgrades therefore have to be implemented progressively.

Bridges also require closer monitoring, particularly where supports are located within river channels. Strong water flows can cause scour around foundations and compromise structural stability. For this reason, asset-management systems, inspections and continuous monitoring are becoming increasingly important. Drainage and bridge maintenance are essential to ensuring that roads reach their intended service life and continue operating safely under more severe climate conditions. 

Q: Technology is changing infrastructure design, monitoring, and project supervision. What digital tools or methodologies is ORVA prioritizing to improve precision, efficiency, and transparency in engineering projects? 

A: We are prioritizing tools that provide more complete, accurate and timely information. AI  is becoming especially relevant because it allows us to automate tasks that previously required extensive fieldwork and manual analysis. In Mexico City, we have implemented pavement-management systems that use images and AI to identify cracks, potholes and other types of deterioration. Specialists still validate the results, but much of the initial assessment is already automated. The information is then processed through models that recommend the required maintenance, estimate costs, and establish intervention priorities.

We are also using vehicles equipped with cameras, sensors, and LiDAR to evaluate roads and create detailed infrastructure inventories. These systems can record signs, barriers, bus stops, lighting, roadside structures, and pavement conditions while the vehicle is moving. They can also measure elements such as crack width, barrier height, and sign reflectivity. This technology significantly reduces the time required to collect and process data. Work that once had to be completed on foot with manual records can now be carried out faster, more safely, and with greater precision.

Another important tool is InSAR satellite radar. We use it to monitor slopes, road cuts, embankments, and ground subsidence by detecting small movements over time. When combined with geological and rainfall data, it helps us assess risk and identify areas that may require closer inspection or preventive intervention.

Q: What geotechnical risks are most common in Mexico, and how can early studies prevent higher costs or delays later in the project? 

A: Mexico’s geotechnical conditions vary significantly by region, so every project requires a site-specific assessment. The main risks depend on the local soil, geology, groundwater conditions, and the type of infrastructure being developed.

In Mexico City, one of the most important challenges is land subsidence. Much of the city is built over highly compressible clay layers from the former lakebed. The weight of infrastructure, combined with groundwater extraction, causes both general and differential settlement. This affects roads, buildings, and industrial developments. Detailed studies are essential to estimate how the ground and the structure will behave over time and to define the appropriate foundation strategy. In some cases, the project must settle at a similar rate to its surroundings. In others, it must be founded in deeper, more stable soil layers.

The Yucatan Peninsula presents a different challenge because of its karst geology. Cavities, caves and cenotes can create instability and unexpected construction conditions if they are not identified early. These risks are well known, but their location and severity vary from one site to another. Early geotechnical studies reduce uncertainty, support more accurate design, and help prevent redesigns, cost overruns, delays, and structural problems during construction or operation. 

Q: Which infrastructure project could best help Mexico capitalize on its geographic and logistics advantages?

A: The Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec has significant potential, but it requires a more comprehensive approach. Improving the railway alone will not be enough. Mexico must also modernize the ports of Salina Cruz and Coatzacoalcos, correct sections of the rail alignment, and ensure competitive transit times between both coasts. The project could serve as an alternative route for cargo that cannot transit through the Panama Canal or faces congestion there. However, its greatest opportunity lies in developing an industrial and logistics ecosystem across the Isthmus rather than simply transferring containers from one port to another.

The region has access to water, renewable-energy potential, and connections to both the Pacific and Atlantic. This creates an opportunity to import components through either port, manufacture higher-value products locally and then distribute them within Mexico or export them to Asia, the European Union, and the east and west coasts of the Americas. Producing goods closer to the ports could reduce inland transportation, manufacturing, and logistics costs. Instead of moving imported inputs to central or northern Mexico and later returning finished products to a port, companies could complete more of the value chain within the corridor.

Developing this model will require industrial parks, housing, healthcare, education, urban infrastructure, and mobility services. It is a long-term project that demands coordinated planning across transportation, energy, industry, and regional development. Mexico must also provide legal certainty, public security and stable conditions for investment. The opportunity is substantial, but other countries are competing for the same projects. Without the right conditions, those investments will move elsewhere.

Q: What are Mexico’s main opportunities and challenges in road and rail infrastructure?

A: Mexico has a major geographic advantage. It shares a long border with the United States, has extensive coastlines, and is located next to the world’s largest economy. However, infrastructure, public policy, and logistics systems must convert those advantages into real competitiveness. 

One of the main challenges is Mexico’s dependence on road freight. Around 59% of cargo moves by road, compared with about 28% in the United States and 36% in Canada. By contrast, rail carries only about 13.5% of Mexico’s freight, versus 38% in the United States and 52% in Canada. Road transport offers speed and flexibility, but it becomes more expensive over long distances. Mexico therefore needs a more balanced freight system that makes greater use of rail and intermodal infrastructure where these modes can reduce logistics costs.

The first step should be a comprehensive analysis of cargo origins, destinations, volumes, transport modes, and costs. That information should guide investment decisions, public policies, and infrastructure priorities rather than treating roads, railways, ports, and logistics hubs as separate systems. Mexico’s logistics costs remain higher than those of the United States, Canada, and the OECD average. Reducing that gap represents a major opportunity to improve the country’s competitiveness and attract additional investment. This requires long-term, integrated planning. New industrial and logistics hubs need more than transport connections. They also require urban infrastructure, housing, mobility, education, healthcare, and public services. The greatest impact will come from coordinating all these elements under a broader national development strategy.

Q: Given the volatility of 2026, how have ORVA Ingeniería’s priorities evolved throughout the year, and what are the company’s main objectives for the rest of 2026?

A: One of our main objectives for the rest of 2026 is to secure a supervision contract for one of Mexico’s passenger rail projects, whether for track infrastructure, maintenance facilities, depots, or related facilities. We are already participating in tenders and see rail as one of the strongest opportunities for the company. We also want to expand our participation in mixed-investment road projects. This is a natural market for us because we have experience in large and complex developments such as the Barranca Larga-Ventanilla highway and Guadalajara’s southern bypass. These projects allow us to contribute through technical supervision, project management, and risk control.

Diversification is another priority. We have a project-management contract with CONAGUA and are evaluating opportunities linked to water-supply infrastructure in the Mexico City metropolitan area. At the same time, we want to maintain a balanced portfolio between public- and private-sector clients. The mix changes depending on the size and timing of projects, but working in both markets gives us greater stability.

Internally, we will continue strengthening our processes, training, and use of new technologies. We see AI and digital tools as a way to automate repetitive work and improve efficiency, but technical judgment and strategic oversight must remain in the hands of experienced professionals.

ORVA Ingeniería has 41 years of engineering experience, specializing in infrastructure, roads, water, soil mechanics, and building construction. It develops effective solutions that create value through innovation, technical quality, and ethical practices, always seeking to maximize both social and financial returns.