Salina Cruz Breakwater Project Over 50 Percent Completed
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Salina Cruz Breakwater Project Over 50 Percent Completed

Photo by:   Chris Pagan
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Fernando Mares By Fernando Mares | Journalist & Industry Analyst - Mon, 04/18/2022 - 11:08

In a press conference after two months of an electoral ban on government information that could be seen as propaganda, President López Obrador announced the progress regarding his major projects. Advancements of key works at the Salina Cruz port, such as a new breakwater, were also part of the announcement.

 

According to the president, the construction of a breakwater is taking place at the Salina Cruz Port, as part of the Inter-oceanic Corridor of the Tehuantepec Isthmus’ development. The project has a length of 1.6km, a width of 12m that expands gradually to the base. It is approximately 23m high and has a bearing surface capacity of over 4m above the sea level. 

 

The project sources some of its material from three stone mines located in the Hacienda and Agua Blanca communities, located a mere 8km from the main project to reduce costs.  These mines facilitate the extraction of stone via controlled explosions. There, the stone is classified by type to utilize it in different layers of the breakwater. 

 

Around 7,000 concrete elements of over 19 tonnes have been placed to slowly dissipate the power of the waves at the port. Toward that same goal, over 399,000 tonnes of stone have been placed in the sea. 

 

In March 2022, López Obrador and the Governor of Oaxaca, Alejandro Murat, visited the project’s site to supervise the works, which were over halfway done at that time. 

 

According to Murat, the breakwater works require an investment of over US$18 million divided across federal and state’s resources. More importantly, the project will create 502 direct jobs and 2,560 indirect jobs. 

 

The inter-oceanic corridor is one of the López Obrador administration’s main projects. It aims to foster the economic development of historically marginalized communities in the southern part of the country. The project consists of a multimodal corridor at the strategic Isthmus of Tehuantepec, crossing it from Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz to Palenque, Chiapas.

 

According to the government’s official website, the project will have “free zones” to attract private investment, which is expected to allow for the development of further infrastructure, as well as ensuring the access to energy, water, digital connectivity and other requirements to fulfill the needs of entrepreneurs and citizens. The entire project requires over US$2 billion and is expected to be finished in 2024, after López Obrador’s presidential term concludes.

Photo by:   Chris Pagan

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