Highway Department Promises Completion of Projects

(Acapulco, JG 24 December) The Guerrero representative of the federal highway department (known as SCT), Benito García Meléndez, took issue with Mayor Ávila’s recent announcement that three critical road projects were overdue. He said that over $300 million pesos have been invested in different projects in the port city, and all will be completed on time. He said, “SCT is in compliance with its commitments, and soon the Mozimba-Pie de la Cuesta project will be delivered, as well as the stretch from El Cayaco to Las Cruces.” He added that phase one of the cloverleaf at Puerto Marqués is “98% complete” and the whole project will be completed by next September.

“I would discount the comments of some citizens and politicians that the Southern states have been forgotten: Chiapas, Oaxaca and Guerrero have had especially high commitments of financial resources.” The SCT representative added that in 2009 Guerrero received $752 million pesos of investment in highway construction and $800 million pesos in 2010, when the average for previous years was $300 million pesos.

With respect to Acapulco itself, $300 million was invested in 2010: $129 million for Mozimba-Pie de la Cuesta (leading out of town to the west and north), $65 million in the stretch from El Cayaco to Las Cruces (on the northeastern corridor), and $106 million on the cloverleaf at Puerto Marqués (where the Acapulco-Diamante highway intersects with the road from Puerto Marqués to Coloso and El Cayaco).