Roads hang in danger in and out of Playas de Tijuana

One month has passed since a landslide took place in El Mataderom, the cliff where the road to Playas de Tijuana was built on. The original project to connect Playas with the downtown Tijuana was open to the public in 1960. The passage of time, a lack of proper maintenance since the opening, plus the heavy rainfalls this year have caused severe problems for those who live in Playas.

The municipality has closed one of the lanes which is extremely exposed to collapse while working on replacing the water pipeline with a bigger one. The traffic congestion has now doubled the time for neighborhood drivers to get in or out of the area. The constant risk of collapse while waiting to make it back home has Playas locals concerned about how the local government will handle this situation.

Gabriela Guinea, a local activist in Playas, has documented with her neighbors that while the repair work is not watched by police heavy semis are driving through despite the danger.

“We feel unsafe with how city hall is dealing with this. There are mothers that need to take their kids to schools, people that need to go to the hospital. This affects all our daily lives and we haven't seen any plans for a long-term solution. We are above the vehicle density this road was meant for. We know the government has no money for it and has always chosen the cheapest solution, but what we need here is a bridge”.

Playas has only two ways to go in and out. The second access has its own problems with traffic because there are several bottlenecks in overpopulated neighborhoods before one can even get close to the exit.

Gregorio Ramirez, a public transport driver, explained that since his transportion service is provided by a company under a government concession, they earn their wages based on the number of round trips they are able to make daily. Thus they have seen their incomes affected directly because of the slow traffic.

“I don't think they will finish the repairs in seven months as they have said. It will be more like to for them to finish it in seven years. Though our incomes are now lower, we need to spend more money on gas and we are afraid of a collapse while in the traffic. There is no way to run, you know.”

Gabriela Guinea and other neighbors have tried since 2021 to establish communication with Mayor Monserrat Caballero. They want to complain about the secrecy of a real estate project building in Playas which they believe will make congestion worse. But the mayor hasn't responded, and the only way they think the municipality will hear them out is if they protest.

“We are getting organized to get the mayor's attention with a demonstration to highlight the importance of thinking about long-term solutions that could build a bridge once and for all. If the local government has no money to do so, they can ask for aid from the federal one; that's their job, isn't it?"