‘Water City’, a tourist island in Progreso, Yucatán

MÉRIDA, Yucatán.- The Home Port of Progreso has been flirting with the idea of a project named “Water City” for more than a decade, that would place the destination in the eyes of the world, with the creation of a luxurious tourist attraction unique to the region, featuring a navigation channel for large draft ships.

The original idea was conceived by architect Jorge Ongay Lara, who estimates an investment of two billion dollars to give a totally new image to the port of Progreso.

In an interview with Milenio Novedades, Ongay Lara declared that the idea has already been presented to executives of the  Integral Port Administration of Progreso (API).

He also stressed that the project would be very important not only for Yucatan but also for other states in the region such as Quintana Roo, Campeche and Tabasco, “as it will allow to boost the touristic activity in a significant way, resulting in great benefits for the whole Yucatan Peninsula. ”

The idea contemplates the creation of a channel next to the current pier of Progreso, which would have a length of 600 meters, a depth of 25 meters and a width of 25 meters.

The sand produced by the construction of this canal would be used for the construction of the Island that would house a series of towers for luxury hotels an condos, an aquarium and a replica of the Chichén Itzá pyramid.

“With what is taken out of the dredging, that is to say more than 23, 594,000 cubic meters of sand, an islet would be built, and it would have a surface of 490,000 square meters, that would feature canals, hotels, shopping centers, restaurants, diving shops, water sports centers with jet skis, boats, water skiing and the largest aquarium in Latin America, with 120,000 cubic meters of water “.

It is a very ambitious project, but it will allow the Yucatan coast to have a commercial growth ,which would help,  among other things, to detonate cruise tourism in the whole region of Southeast Mexico.

Ongay Lara affirmed that currently most of the requirements that the shipping companies requested to berth in the Home Port of Progreso have been solved, such as improvement of roads, lighting, and the construction of a fishermen’s wharf.

“Now it is up to the state authorities to decide if they want to take Progreso to the next level or not,” concluded architect Jorge Ongay Lara.

Source: SIPSE

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