**Street Assessment Before Implementing Pothole Repair Programs: CMIC**
The new municipal administration should thoroughly evaluate the condition of city streets before initiating new pothole repair programs, according to Gabriel Vizcaíno, President of the Mexican Chamber of the Construction Industry (CMIC) in Tijuana.
“First, there must be an evaluation of the city’s pavements to determine their current conditions and decide on the appropriate treatments to ensure a well-allocated budget,” stated Vizcaíno. This assessment should identify the necessary repairs for each roadway based on its existing state.
The CMIC President highlighted that while some streets may only need patching or sealing, others with more significant damage might require complete reconstruction. “Often, patching is a temporary solution and insufficient for heavily damaged roads,” he explained.
In addition to pothole repairs, Vizcaíno emphasized that the incoming administration should focus on cleaning and rehabilitating the city’s drainage systems and constructing new underground drainage channels. “It’s essential that we stop using streets as drainage channels, as this renders them unusable during rainy seasons,” he added.
Vizcaíno also noted that the current municipal administration’s effort to pay off public debt, led by Mayor Montserrat Caballero Ramírez, could enable greater investment in infrastructure by the incoming government. “With no debt, we can allocate more resources to infrastructure,” he asserted.
Furthermore, CMIC Tijuana aims to certify machinery operators using simulators to address workforce deficits. The next municipal government is also encouraged to prioritize the synchronization of traffic lights and the implementation of smart intersections, per recommendations from Comice TTR. Additionally, the rising construction costs due to increased tariffs were also highlighted as a concern.
Overall, it is clear that a comprehensive approach encompassing street evaluation, drainage improvements, and adequate investment in infrastructure is essential for the sustainable development of Tijuana’s road network.