The federal minister of transportation touted the economic benefits of the new Puerto Escondido-Oaxaca highway during a tour of the project this week.
Jorge Nuño Lara accompanied Governor Salomón Jara on a tour of the new highway, a 10.7 billion peso (US $620.5 million) project that authorities say will benefit more than 116,000 people.
The officials visited various points on the highway, including a viaduct located at km 117; the installation of embankment walls at km 150 and 149; the San Sebastián tunnel; and the Gavilán, Cieneguilla and San Antonio junctions.
The minister stated that the highway will boost the economic growth and social well-being of the region like never before, especially for the communities through which it will pass.
Also known as the Barranca Larga-Ventanilla highway, the new route will reduce the travel time from Puerto Escondido to the state capital by three hours.
This will bring education and health services closer to the people in the region, while also improving their mobility, security and quality of life, said an official press release.
Another of the benefits seen by officials is an increase in the number of tourists that the Puerto region receives, bringing more investment, economic growth and more and better jobs.
In response to government infrastructure projects, environmental activists and residents of Puerto Escondido have spoked out to demand regulated, organized and sustainable development in the region and the city, where sanitation facilities and utilities are already over capacity.
The two-lane Puerto-Oaxaca highway will have 10 bridges, three tunnels, two viaducts, 15 interchanges, two toll plazas, 114 crossings and five emergency ramps.
Annual average daily traffic is estimated at 4,253 vehicles that will be able to circulate at speeds of between 90 and 110 km per hour.
The federal and state governments have predicted an October opening for the highway, but there was no mention of a date in the federal government’s press release.
El Sol de Puerto
