Cancun Beach Project UpdatePosted on Tue, Jul 28, 2009
Here is the latest information on the upcoming beach project soon to take place in Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel. In Cancun, the project will restore 12.27 kilometers of shoreline between Punta Cancun and Punta Nizuc and is due to begin on September 1. In a change from the 2006 project, this time it appears that pumping will begin at Punta Cancun and the dredging company will work from north to south. The sand will be dredged from sandbanks at La Ollita between Isla Mujeres and Contoy and from the area of Punta Norte in Cozumel and will be pumped on to the beaches and leveled. Some of the sand will be reserved for areas that are currently submerged in order to reduce the slope of the beach and reduce future erosion.
The project also calls for the construction of a concrete barrier to protect the beaches from erosion. Located between the coast and Islote Golondrinas, a tiny islet off Punta Cancun, the breakwater will be approximately 304 meters long and will weigh around 16,245 tons.
The Cancun component of the project will cost $650 million pesos and includes inspections and maintenance for ten years. In contrast, officials now acknowledge that the 2006 Cancun beach initiative failed due to inadequate monitoring and erosion studies after dredging took place.
In other news, when asked about the project and the fact that it is taking place during sea turtle season, Graciela Saldana, Director of Ecology for Cancun and Coordinator of the annual Cancun Turtle Conservation campaign, said that pumping should take place in daylight hours to minimize the impact on the sea turtles that come ashore at night to nest on area beaches.
As more details about this important project are released by the authorities we will do our best to keep you informed by publishing updates in Royal Resorts News.
Source: Semarnat, Noticaribe
December 10th, 2009 at 8:00 am
Can you give me an update on the Beach dredging project around the Royal Caribbean? We are planning to be there in late May and were wondering what to expect.
Thanks much,
Sue
November 25th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Can anyone tell me if the The beach will be done upto the Caribe Real by mid Decemeber , will be staying around the area and on the live webcams see a barge out in front of the ocean could it be they are starting to work around there .. and after they are done how long does it take till you can actually use the beach .. thanks ,,because from what i see now it doesnt look to enviting or pleasent ..
November 19th, 2009 at 11:17 am
Dear Cliff: Dredging started again this week and work is currently going on in the vicinity of Plaza Forum. We still do not know when restoration will take place in front of the Royal Resorts, as this time work started in the Punta Cancun area and will move south as the weeks pass, The Royal Sands will be the first to be affected, and accordingly, can expect to have the widest beach. We are hoping for more news from the authorities soon. It appears that another, larger dredger will be arriving next week which hopefully should speed things up.
Thomas More Travel offers a variety of snorkeling tours in the Cancun area (Punta Nizuc), Puerto Morelos, Yalku-Akumal, then of course there’s Xel-Ha Park, especially if you move away from the most crowded area. One of my favorite places for a day’s snorkeling is Akumal in the Riviera Maya, between Playa del Carmen and Tulum. There are two bays here (the main bay and Half Moon Bay to the north, where the reef is closer to the shoreline) and Yalku inlet, a smaller version of Xel-Ha. I have seen a variety of fish and other marine life in very shallow water. I hope this helps. Enjoy your vacation.
November 14th, 2009 at 11:32 am
Would like a quick update on the beach dredging project. We will be staying at the Mayan Royal Dec. 12-19. Will we be effected, or will the dredging be taking place elsewhere at that time? Which of the five Cancun Royal properties will have the best beachfront at that time? Lastly, where is the best place to go snorkeling on our own (without a tour)?Thanks very much. Cliff
October 29th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Dear Richard: The beach restoration project hasn’t started yet but the dredger has now arrived and the pipes have been assembled. There is a delay due to legal action taken by a Cozumel-based conservation group in protest at the selection of a sand bank to the north of the island for dredging. We are hoping to have more news in the next few days from the authorities about this extremely important project for Cancun. The Beach Restoration committee has already issued a bulletin saying that the project will go ahead as planned. As soon as we have more news we will publish updates on this site and on http://www.royalresorts.com.
October 28th, 2009 at 9:28 am
From what I’ve read they haven’t even started the beach restoration
project yet. And we’ll be lucky if they start it by the completion date. So what is the real story. I own two villas at the Caribbean. Dec. and June. Will i have a beach by June. Without a beach there is no CANCUN.
Thanks
October 19th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Dear Don: The beach restoration project should be completed some time in December. I hope this helps, in any case we will be posting updates on the progress on this site and on http://www.royalresorts.com
October 16th, 2009 at 8:20 am
Hi Patricia: As far as I know so far, the barrier they are going to build will be in the Punta Cancun area and I think that its purpose is to prevent sand from moving further north along the coast. I am hoping to interview someone involved in the beach restoration project in the coming weeks to have more information. The barrier will not have any effect on the waves or currents as far as I know but I will certainly try and find out.
October 14th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
In regards to the beach restoration project–will the barrier that they are going to build,cut down on the waves any ?? And do you think it will help with rip tides & such ?? Thank you
October 13th, 2009 at 6:26 am
WHAT WILL BE THE CONDITION OF THE BEACH…1/2/2010 THRU 1/9/2010?