President Calderón Launches Punta Colonet Project, the Work that will Make Mexico a Leader in Port Issues
Ensenada, Baja California Thursday, August 28, 2008
• It is this administration's largest infrastructure project to date.
• It will turn Mexico into a crucial link between Asia and North America
President Felipe Calderón formally announced the launching of the Punta Colonet Multimodal Project, the largest infrastructure work in Mexico for many years, which will make Mexico a leader in port issues.
The President explained that this work will have an enormous economic impact for Baja California and the north of Mexico, since it includes construction of a new, world-class port equipped with state-of-the-art technology, which will have large capacity terminals for containers and a rail connection to the United States.
Accompanied by Governor José Guadalupe Osuna Millán, President Felipe Calderón said that nearly $50 billion pesos will be invested in Punta Colonet, which will lead to the creation of over 80,000 new jobs in the area during both the construction and the operating phase.
Punta Colonet will be the most important port in Mexico, since it will double current capacity for container handling and be five times larger than the Port of Veracruz and ten times larger than the current port of Manzanillo, Colima.
It will also become a crucial link between Asian and US production chains, since its strategic location will streamline direct container transport services between the United States and major Asian powers.
President Calderón said that this long-term project will transform and revolutionize the country's productive apparatus, in addition to generating more attractive conditions for investment and trade in the country, which in turn will permit the creation of the jobs Mexicans are demanding.
“Building the infrastructure Mexico requires is also crucial to increasing the competitiveness of the Mexican economy. We need it to create jobs and reduce poverty. That is why we are giving the development of new infrastructure throughout the country a record boost," he explained.
Lastly, the President explained that as part of the 2007-2012 National Infrastructure Program, in the state of Baja California alone, 15 projects have been planned with an investment of $72 billion pesos, including highway projects from San Luis Río Colorado to Mexicali, the expansion and construction of a new airport in Ensenada and the electricity grid designed to link up the state.