A sense of ease and tranquility has come to Tijuana’s chaotic Calle Segunda this week. The transformation of one of the city’s main east-west thoroughfares was evident today as bicyclists and pedestrians slowly wandered along between Avenidas. 5 de Mayo and Mutualismo.
Tijuana’s Secretary of Urban Development announced on February 24 that work would begin on the rehabilitation of Calle Segunda (also called Benito Juarez). After pounding rains slowed the construction in late February and political controversy and scandal threatened to delay the project even further, this week, construction moved forward.
Detour begins at Av. Arias Bernal
Not everyone is as excited about the quiet streets. Miguel Vazquez, one of three employees who run Burbuja, a laundromat between Mutualismo and 5 de Mayo, worries that customers may give up and go somewhere else rather than struggle to figure out how to get through closed streets and rush hour traffic jams. “The city says it will be finished in two or three months of construction, but who knows…” Vazquez laments.
The cooks at Tacos El Rey across the street worry that business will die out as construction drags on for months. Neither had ever seen a construction project that shut down the streets completely. “Usually they work on one side of the street, but leave the other side open for traffic flow.”
Tacos El Rey has been in business for more than forty years.
5 de Mayo has turned into a parking lot.
Meanwhile, as drivers scramble for alternative routes home, pedestrians and bicyclists may enjoy a few months of privileged access to a street of their own.
