“Discoveries Beneath Cancún Bridge Shake Up Construction Plans”

A natural cavern, 67 meters in diameter, has been discovered under the construction site of the Nichupté Lagoon Bridge in Cancún. The depth of the cavern could not be determined with sonar equipment. This discovery has led to the need for reinforced pilings to be installed for the construction of a 103-meter prefabricated and tensioned arch bridge.

Currently, the project is 51 percent complete. However, the discovery of the cavern and the karstic nature of the soil have necessitated a change in the bridge's route over a length of 103 meters to avoid the cavern.

An investment of two hundred million pesos will be directed towards damage mitigation programs. These measures aim to protect the cavern and ensure the safety of the massive structure that will cross the lagoon.

The Nichupté Lagoon Bridge is projected to be 8.8 kilometers in length and 14.9 meters wide, with three lanes and two access junctions. It will cross the Nichupté Lagoon System, connecting the hotel zone of Cancún with the city.

The bridge will be supported by 660 piles, each 1.7 meters in diameter, and 200 support axes, each separated by a distance of 50 meters. This design is crucial to avoid altering the surface hydrology.

Initially, the prefabricated arch bridge was not included in the plan. However, this, along with a series of other environmental measures to mitigate impacts in the area, have increased the overall cost of the project by 2,267 million pesos, from 5,580 million to 7,847 million pesos.