The Secretary General of the Zacatecas government, Rodrigo Reyes Mugüerza, announced the definitive cancellation of the construction of the elevated viaduct, or second floor, in the capital, a flagship project of the administration of Morena governor David Monreal Ávila.
Announcing the decision at a press conference, he leveled accusations of “corrupt” and “sellouts” at the federal judges who granted nine suspensions, both definitive and promotional, in the 14 amparo lawsuits filed against the megaproject by the civil association Ciudad Participativa, citizens advised by the law firm of attorney Jorge Rada, and by the Movimiento Ciudadano party, whom he called “conservative.”
The project had been halted since March 12 of this year, when the Third District Judge of the Federal Judicial Branch granted a provisional suspension of the work due to a lack of permits. The project, which Grupo HYCSA—made up of the companies Calzada Construcciones y Construcciones and Dragados del Sureste—began to be built at the end of December on Metropolitan Boulevard, next to the historic center of the capital.
The construction of the so-called second level or elevated viaduct, 3.5 km long, at a cost of 3.652 billion pesos, was officially announced by Governor David Monreal on June 3, 2024, as part of the Mobility for Well-being (MOBI) project to solve traffic congestion problems in the Zacatecas-Guadalupe metropolitan area. However, it has since sparked controversy and rejection among sectors of the population.
On Tuesday afternoon, Secretary of State Rodrigo Reyes Mugüerza declared that “corruption” within the judiciary has led the state government and the construction company to opt for early termination of the contract to avoid further risks to the treasury.
The judges, he accused, are playing “the legal game, the fat cat” for opponents who have filed legal appeals to halt the project and the development of Zacatecas.
He explained that “the Second and Third District Courts granted nine suspensions, while the First Court denied five, which demonstrates a difference of opinion and deep collusion between judges and political adversaries.”
Rodrigo Reyes criticized the judges for ignoring the permits submitted by the state administration when granting suspensions to those who, he noted, “are no more than 100 people in these injunctions” and are not citizens but members of the PAN and Movimiento Ciudadano (Citizens’ Movement).
And he said that, although the government expects a favorable opinion on the project from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), they know there is a legal strategy by the opponents and the judges who “are giving them a hard time” to prevent the project.
“They will continue to drag out the process. They already have a solid strategy to continue filing injunctions, more appeals based on nothing, nothing, while we present and present evidence, and the judges continue to side with these people,” he said.
The official added that this strategy by the opponents “seeks to prolong the time so that the allocated funds are lost. We will not allow it.”
For this reason, he insisted, the state government and the construction company have decided to opt for early termination of the contract to avoid the freezing of funds allocated to the Trust for this project.
Reyes Mugüerza admitted that the termination of the contract will require a joint financial review with the company to establish the conditions for canceling the project, but did not specify how much this measure will cost the treasury.
He assured that this decision does not abandon the mobility project, as “the resources will be reallocated to new infrastructure projects that will be announced soon by Governor David Monreal Ávila.”
The Secretary of State warned that, according to studies, the capital’s metropolitan boulevard will collapse by 2027 due to a lack of alternative routes. Therefore, he lashed out, “when that happens, history will judge these corrupt individuals, these corrupt women who, for political gain, paralyzed this project.”
Source: proceso
