Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – In a significant act of protest, residents and merchants from San Salvador Street in Puerto Vallarta blocked the intersection of San Salvador Street and Mexico Avenue today, calling on municipal authorities to fulfill their promises to complete the road repairs. The incomplete repairs have rendered the street nearly impassable, adversely affecting the local businesses and the daily lives of residents.
The protest, which had been planned in advance, saw participants standing resolute under the rain, holding banners that expressed their frustration and demands. The messages on the banners included, “You already made the chaos. We want solutions. You have not fulfilled any agreement”; “How much deceit. Clean up your mess. It affects income and health”; and “Mr. President Pepe Martínez, we want actions, not words. Fix San Salvador Street.”
For approximately 30 minutes, the protesters remained at the intersection of Mexico Avenue and San Salvador Street. Subsequently, the demonstration moved to the intersection of Francisco Medina Ascencio and Las Américas avenues, in front of the Sheraton Buganvilias hotel, aiming to increase visibility and pressure the authorities for a response.
Interim President Pepe Martínez arrived at the scene more than an hour after the protest began. Addressing the crowd, he acknowledged the budgetary issues that have delayed the completion of the street repairs. Martínez admitted that the rehabilitation process for San Salvador Street was poorly executed due to the lack of authorized budget. He revealed that he had considered removing the Director of Public Works, Jaime Gabriel Pérez Meza, but decided against it to avoid further delays in the process.
“I want to tell you that I have been evaluating the removal of the director of public works, but I also think about something: if we remove him, we are going to reverse the entire process. Therefore, the priority is to first fix things for the people. Therefore, I am considering removal, but the problem is that I have been considering whether I should make an impulsive decision and remove an official who did not inform us correctly. If I do, the only thing I will achieve is delay the processes, and what we need is to approve them and move them forward,” said Martínez.
After an hour-long blockade at the entrance avenue to Puerto Vallarta, the residents of the 5 de Diciembre neighborhood decided to end the protest. This decision came after reaching an agreement with Mayor Francisco José Martínez, who promised to allocate a budget and resume work on the Paseo de las Ánimas project, which has also been stalled.
Mayor Martínez visited the area of the abandoned construction site, where he personally observed the ditches and debris that have disrupted the lives of the residents. He assured the residents that their concerns would be addressed promptly and that substantial progress would be made.
The residents, however, issued a stern warning: if they do not see significant progress by the municipal authorities, they will close another major artery tomorrow at the same time.
Negotiations are expected to continue as both parties seek a resolution to this ongoing conflict, aiming to prevent future blockades that could disrupt traffic on this crucial tourist access route.
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - In a significant act of protest, residents and merchants from San Salvador Street in Puerto Vallarta blocked the intersection of San Salvador Street and Mexico Avenue today, calling on municipal authorities to fulfill their promises to complete the road repairs. The incomplete repairs have rendered the street nearly impassable, adversely affecting the local businesses and the daily lives of residents.
