Traffic is moving again on the federal highway between Tizimín and Río Lagartos after residents lifted a roadblock that cut off some of eastern Yucatán’s best-known coastal destinations during the Day of the Dead holiday weekend.
Protesters from Río Lagartos and Las Coloradas cleared the junction shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday. They left after Yucatán Secretary General of Government Omar David Pérez Avilés and Río Lagartos Mayor Yesenia Loría Marfil arrived to talk with them.
The blockade began Friday morning at the turnoff to the coastal ports and lasted two nights. Residents want the road widened. They say the narrow route has seen frequent crashes over the years, some of them fatal.
Tour operators along the coast welcomed the reopening. The closure blocked access to Río Lagartos, Las Coloradas, and San Felipe during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, when many families travel for Hanal Pixán, the Maya Day of the Dead tradition.
The deal took shape Saturday night, when a group from the blockade traveled to Mérida to meet with state and federal officials. By Sunday morning, only a short conversation was needed before protesters agreed to leave.
What the agreement says
The state government said in a brief statement that both sides agreed to two points. A follow-up meeting with the communities will take place within 15 days, followed by meetings every 30 days to report on progress. The federal Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation, known as SICT, will review and update the technical plan for the highway.
Protesters said the effort paid off. The state said it would follow up on each commitment alongside the federal government.
State officials have stressed that widening the road is a federal job, since the highway falls under SICT. Maintenance now underway on a 48.5-kilometer (30-mile) stretch of the Valladolid-Río Lagartos route includes leveling and a new road surface. That project costs MX$42.46 million (about US$2.3 million), is paid for by the national infrastructure fund Fonadin, and is about 75% complete.
The state government said that work is separate from the widening residents want, which would require its own federal project.
Tense weekend on the coast
Getting to a deal was not smooth. On Friday night, Loría Marfil arrived with staff from the Yucatán Highway Infrastructure Institute, or Incay, to open talks, but no agreement came of it. Residents booed the mayor and demanded she stay with them, and a police vehicle was damaged as she left.
On Saturday, tempers rose further as arguments broke out among the protesters themselves. State officials offered to hold talks that day or Monday at SICT offices, but protest representatives at first turned the invitation down.
Protesters endured mosquito bites and stormy weather. On Saturday afternoon, they let some tourists leave and allowed a fuel truck and food deliveries through. State police set up detours at junctions near Tizimín, Loche, and San Felipe.
The protest was the second in eastern Yucatán in a week. On Oct. 26, residents of several communities near Tizimín, including Tixcancal and Dzonot Aké, shut down the Tizimín-Colonia Yucatán highway to demand repairs to rural roads in poor condition.
Río Lagartos sits on the edge of the Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, a protected estuary known for its flamingo colonies and boat tours. The pink salt ponds of nearby Las Coloradas have become one of the most photographed spots in the state. Recent growth in visitors has brought tensions of its own as the town manages its growing appeal.
Fast Facts
• Road: Federal highway between Tizimín and Río Lagartos, eastern Yucatán
• Blockade: Friday morning until shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday
• Demand: Widening of the highway to reduce crashes
• Next step: Follow-up meeting within 15 days, then every 30 days
• Responsible agency: SICT, the federal infrastructure secretariat
• Current work: MX$42.46 million resurfacing project, about 75% complete
• Getting there: Río Lagartos is about 2.5 hours by car from Mérida, via Tizimín
Sources: Diario de Yucatán, PorEsto, Desde el Balcón, Yucatán Magazine