Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Roads hang in danger in and out of Playas de Tijuana

Lack of maintenance plus heavy rain

The original project to connect Playas with the downtown Tijuana was open to the public in 1960. - Image by Crisstian Villicana
The original project to connect Playas with the downtown Tijuana was open to the public in 1960.

One month has passed since a landslide took place in El Mataderom, the cliff where the road to Playas de Tijuana was built on. The original project to connect Playas with the downtown Tijuana was open to the public in 1960. The passage of time, a lack of proper maintenance since the opening, plus the heavy rainfalls this year have caused severe problems for those who live in Playas.

The municipality has closed one of the lanes which is extremely exposed to collapse while working on replacing the water pipeline with a bigger one. The traffic congestion has now doubled the time for neighborhood drivers to get in or out of the area. The constant risk of collapse while waiting to make it back home has Playas locals concerned about how the local government will handle this situation.

The municipality has closed one of the lanes.

Gabriela Guinea, a local activist in Playas, has documented with her neighbors that while the repair work is not watched by police heavy semis are driving through despite the danger.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“We feel unsafe with how city hall is dealing with this. There are mothers that need to take their kids to schools, people that need to go to the hospital. This affects all our daily lives and we haven't seen any plans for a long-term solution. We are above the vehicle density this road was meant for. We know the government has no money for it and has always chosen the cheapest solution, but what we need here is a bridge”.

Playas has only two ways to go in and out. The second access has its own problems with traffic because there are several bottlenecks in overpopulated neighborhoods before one can even get close to the exit.

"We are afraid of a collapse while in the traffic."

Gregorio Ramirez, a public transport driver, explained that since his transportion service is provided by a company under a government concession, they earn their wages based on the number of round trips they are able to make daily. Thus they have seen their incomes affected directly because of the slow traffic.

“I don't think they will finish the repairs in seven months as they have said. It will be more like to for them to finish it in seven years. Though our incomes are now lower, we need to spend more money on gas and we are afraid of a collapse while in the traffic. There is no way to run, you know.”

Gabriela Guinea and other neighbors have tried since 2021 to establish communication with Mayor Monserrat Caballero. They want to complain about the secrecy of a real estate project building in Playas which they believe will make congestion worse. But the mayor hasn't responded, and the only way they think the municipality will hear them out is if they protest.

“We are getting organized to get the mayor's attention with a demonstration to highlight the importance of thinking about long-term solutions that could build a bridge once and for all. If the local government has no money to do so, they can ask for aid from the federal one; that's their job, isn't it?"

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Aaron Stewart trades Christmas wonders for his first new music in 15 years

“Just because the job part was done, didn’t mean the passion had to die”
Next Article

Hike off those holiday calories, Poinsettias are peaking

Winter Solstice is here and what is winter?
The original project to connect Playas with the downtown Tijuana was open to the public in 1960. - Image by Crisstian Villicana
The original project to connect Playas with the downtown Tijuana was open to the public in 1960.

One month has passed since a landslide took place in El Mataderom, the cliff where the road to Playas de Tijuana was built on. The original project to connect Playas with the downtown Tijuana was open to the public in 1960. The passage of time, a lack of proper maintenance since the opening, plus the heavy rainfalls this year have caused severe problems for those who live in Playas.

The municipality has closed one of the lanes which is extremely exposed to collapse while working on replacing the water pipeline with a bigger one. The traffic congestion has now doubled the time for neighborhood drivers to get in or out of the area. The constant risk of collapse while waiting to make it back home has Playas locals concerned about how the local government will handle this situation.

The municipality has closed one of the lanes.

Gabriela Guinea, a local activist in Playas, has documented with her neighbors that while the repair work is not watched by police heavy semis are driving through despite the danger.

Sponsored
Sponsored

“We feel unsafe with how city hall is dealing with this. There are mothers that need to take their kids to schools, people that need to go to the hospital. This affects all our daily lives and we haven't seen any plans for a long-term solution. We are above the vehicle density this road was meant for. We know the government has no money for it and has always chosen the cheapest solution, but what we need here is a bridge”.

Playas has only two ways to go in and out. The second access has its own problems with traffic because there are several bottlenecks in overpopulated neighborhoods before one can even get close to the exit.

"We are afraid of a collapse while in the traffic."

Gregorio Ramirez, a public transport driver, explained that since his transportion service is provided by a company under a government concession, they earn their wages based on the number of round trips they are able to make daily. Thus they have seen their incomes affected directly because of the slow traffic.

“I don't think they will finish the repairs in seven months as they have said. It will be more like to for them to finish it in seven years. Though our incomes are now lower, we need to spend more money on gas and we are afraid of a collapse while in the traffic. There is no way to run, you know.”

Gabriela Guinea and other neighbors have tried since 2021 to establish communication with Mayor Monserrat Caballero. They want to complain about the secrecy of a real estate project building in Playas which they believe will make congestion worse. But the mayor hasn't responded, and the only way they think the municipality will hear them out is if they protest.

“We are getting organized to get the mayor's attention with a demonstration to highlight the importance of thinking about long-term solutions that could build a bridge once and for all. If the local government has no money to do so, they can ask for aid from the federal one; that's their job, isn't it?"

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

East San Diego County has only one bike lane

So you can get out of town – from Santee to Tierrasanta
Next Article

3 Tips for Creating a Cozy and Inviting Living Room in San Diego

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader