Here is the latest information on the upcoming beach project soon to take place in Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel. In Cancun, the project will restore 12.27 kilometers of shoreline between Punta Cancun and Punta Nizuc and is due to begin on September 1. In a change from the 2006 project, this time it appears that pumping will begin at Punta Cancun and the dredging company will work from north to south. The sand will be dredged from sandbanks at La Ollita between Isla Mujeres and Contoy and from the area of Punta Norte in Cozumel and will be pumped on to the beaches and leveled. Some of the sand will be reserved for areas that are currently submerged in order to reduce the slope of the beach and reduce future erosion.
The project also calls for the construction of a concrete barrier to protect the beaches from erosion. Located between the coast and Islote Golondrinas, a tiny islet off Punta Cancun, the breakwater will be approximately 304 meters long and will weigh around 16,245 tons.
The Cancun component of the project will cost $650 million pesos and includes inspections and maintenance for ten years. In contrast, officials now acknowledge that the 2006 Cancun beach initiative failed due to inadequate monitoring and erosion studies after dredging took place.
In other news, when asked about the project and the fact that it is taking place during sea turtle season, Graciela Saldana, Director of Ecology for Cancun and Coordinator of the annual Cancun Turtle Conservation campaign, said that pumping should take place in daylight hours to minimize the impact on the sea turtles that come ashore at night to nest on area beaches.
As more details about this important project are released by the authorities we will do our best to keep you informed by publishing updates in Royal Resorts News.
