5 Mexican states offer large infrastructure opportunities this year

Five Mexican states, most governed by members of ruling Morena party, offer large infrastructure opportunities. 

Some states have the biggest infrastructure portfolios, while some works have strong federal financial backing. 

Quintana Roo

In December, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the state will receive a historic 42bn-peso (US$2bn) investment for five key infrastructures in 2023. 

Funds will go to the 500km of Maya train stretches 5, 6 and 7 that cross the state, the Tulum airport, built by the armed forces, the modernization of Chetumal airport, the Nichupté bridge in Cancún’s hotel district and the Luis Donaldo Colosio boulevard modernization. 

Most funds go to works that were already awarded or assigned, Adolfo Zagal, infrastructure director at think tank Grupo de Economistas y Asociados (GEA), told BNamericas in November that this investment will also translate into opportunities for the construction sector, as the complex works require other complementary projects. 

Sonora

The federal government is readying stage one of its 50bn-peso Sonora plan that involves infrastructure, clean energy and mining projects with investments from the US and Canada. 

So far, the plan includes the 100km four-lane highway between Tecoripa and Guaymas and the modernization of Guaymas port, both demanding 5bn pesos. 

It also involves border infrastructure such as customs facilities in collaboration with the US and the new railroad bypass in Nogales.

Baja California  

The state wants to revive four infrastructure projects that were proposed but never started during previous administrations. 

These are the 3.6bn-peso Skytren Baja passenger rail link between Tijuana and Playas de Rosarito, the 2.5bn-peso stage one of the Tijuana-Tecate interurban train, the US$450mn Playas de Rosarito desalination plant near Tijuana and the 50bn-peso Punta Colonet port south of Ensenada city. 

Investment plans are confirmed for all four, in addition to federal support, but works are yet to start. 

Nuevo León

Items on the state’s infrastructure agenda include continuing construction of metro lines No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 in state capital Monterrey, which started in September, the 15.7bn-peso El Cuchillo II aqueduct, a 107km water pipeline, the 1.1bn-peso Libertad dam, on which efforts to complete the work restarted in 2022, and the 19bn-peso modernization of the Nueva Interserrana highway, for which several contracts were awarded. 

Work is expected to start soon on the new US$320mn Tigres stadium in Monterrey, which ran into problems despite strong public and private support, and the García-Monterrey airport interurban train, for which the state launched consultancy tenders last year. 

Yucatán

Two Maya train stretches will cross the state, while work on the 2.8bn-peso IETRAM bus rapid transit corridor is also expected to continue.

Other plans include starting work on the 2.2bn-peso Estadio Sostenible de Yucatán (ESY) that will be built in state capital Mérida and the 4.2bn-peso project to expand, modernize and operate Progreso port. Both works faced setbacks last year.