Mayor Montserrat Caballero Ramírez led this Monday the reopening of the El Chaparral bridge, which will speed up vehicular traffic flow from people coming to Tijuana from the United States while guaranteeing road safety. This is after months these repairs being organized.

The mayor said the following:

This is an important announcement for people, but above all for the mobility of the city. Today we are opening the El Chaparral bridge and that is thanks to the joint work with business chambers, engineering schools, and architects who gave us the guidelines for a speedy and prompt job.

The repair work of the bridge's 450 lineal meters had an investment of around 65 million pesos from own resources. Though this line of work belongs to the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communication, and Transportation (SICT), as it hasn't been given to the municipal administration, the mayor led the repairs due to the impact they have on mobility.

The bridge built by the federal government during the Felipe Calderón Hinojosa administration showed structural damage that forced its preventive closure in 2023. In July 2023, the Municipal Administration of Tijuana began repairs on this important road as it connects people coming from the US to the city.

Mayor Montserrat Caballero highlighted that specialty engineering to strengthen structure and guarantee users' safety was used.

She also said that though the bridge is now open to vehicular traffic, staff will continue to work on its lower part without risking workers or users.

The repairs of this federal bridge were led by building company Constructora JAN and, according to the mayor, it was a joint work by business chambers, engineering schools, and architects to guarantee a high-quality and long-lasting project.

This is to avoid what happened with the previous bridge, as that bridge was not worthy at all of being open.

The Secretary of Territorial, Urban, and Environmental Development (SDTUA) said that the reopening of the El Chaparral bridge will also lead to important road improvements that will optimize the functioning of Vía Rápida Poniente.

These actions are part of a greater effort to provide more traffic flow to Avenida Internacional, due to the federal projects currently ongoing for the Elevated Viaduct, and to provide Mexican Customs with a road that will efficiently relieve traffic from people coming from the United States.

Among the repairs, there's the transition from the two lanes of the El Chaparral bridge into one lane giving access to Vía Rápida; this is due to the fact that the high-speed section of this road only has three lanes that provide service to people coming from Playas, Downtown, and the flow from the US through the bridge.

This realignment on the road will allow flows to be administered much better by giving priority to the more than 60,000 daily vehicles coming from Avenida Internacional and 2nd Street, protecting 15,000 daily vehicles that will use the El Chaparral bridge from the intersection in Vía Rápida.

VIDEO: Mayor Montserrat Caballero supervises pothole repairs in Tijuana