New Highway Creates Logistics Hub In Durango

Q: What projects should the state of Durango prioritize?
A: The state has a variety of needs when it comes to the development of highways. We need to finish the highway that leads to Guadalajara. When it comes to electric infrastructure, we need to cover several areas in the state. Industrial infrastructure is also quite important and should be developed throughout the state.
Durango has an aggressive incentive program that is focused on attracting investment for the development of real estate, such as residential developments and shopping centers. We have also examined regulatory processes, streamlining and simplifying them to help attract investment.
Q: How are ZEEs helping boost the state’s economic well-being?
A: Durango would like to be included in the ZEEs or at least to incorporate areas of the state that perfectly meet the program’s requirements. Durango plays an important role in improving Mexico’s competitivity because of its logistically strategic position. The state wants to be involved in the special economic zones and believes that its incentives could help attract significant development to the area. But it is ultimately up to federal agencies to decide what states should participate.
Q: In what ways has the Durango-Mazatlan highway impacted the economic well-being of the area?
A: It has positively strengthened tourism in Mazatlan but the industrial opportunities available at the Mazatlan port were not properly considered when it was being planned. As a result, the government is collaborating with Sinaloa to expand the port. Once it is open, the highway will provide merchandise access to the Pacific Ocean, making Durango an important logistics hub. The port is the entrance and exit to the Pacific Ocean, and the highway is the shortest route from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Q: How are authorities taking advantage of PPPs?
A: We are starting to incorporate them and we even went as far as changing the state’s legal framework to be able to appropriately take advantage of them. The state is approving projects and finding ways to collaborate with the private sector to develop more. Primarily, we are investing in industrial infrastructure and highways.