How one of the world’s largest piers was built in Yucatán

By Yucatan Times on March 25, 2021

23 thousand tons of cement were used in its construction initially.

Progreso, Yucatán, (March 22, 2021).- The Progreso pier is 84 years old since its construction began (1937) and 80 years in service (1941), operating in perfect condition and without significant corrosion problems.

It is a 6.5 km long reinforced concrete structure that sits in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Given the shallow depth of the port, the project had to be extended offshore to allow deep draft vessels to dock on this Yucatan coast.

The port of Progreso, as a high-altitude port, is the main one in Yucatán. It is located to the north, 36 km away from Mérida.

In 1937, the federal government began the construction of a concrete pier that cost just over 13 million pesos.

The difficult situation brought about by the opening of new communication routes worsened between 1960 and 1970, significantly reducing maritime movement. Most of the Yucatecan products left by road and rail. In the midst of this critical situation, hope is glimpsed with the rise of the fishing industry and new industries.

Tourists arriving on cruise ships that dock at the pier must take a bus from the platform that takes more than 10 minutes to make the journey to the mainland. Photo: (Heraldo de México)

In the first months of 1978, commercial transactions through the port of Progreso showed a satisfactory improvement due to the shipments of honey , henequen artifacts, gum, fish and other articles.

In 1999 work began on a stage of expansion of the port, undoubtedly one of the most important investments in the maritime port sector. The main objective sought with this work was to provide the port with greater depth by passing from 7.5 to 12 meters in the navigation channel and 11.30 meters in the maneuvering docks, which would allow access to larger vessels. The challenge was very great, since a dredging of the seabed had to be carried out and with these works it went from three docking positions to nine, with the possibility of building one more in the near future.

With the finished navigation channel and the cruise ship dock, with a capacity to serve two mega cruise ships of the fourth generation simultaneously and a position to receive tourist ferries, the Progreso high-altitude port is currently a tourist link point and a border open to commercial exchange with the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.