One of our main roads as you leave the Centro area of Patzcuaro going up the hill towards the autopista, on the road to Opopeo, Tacambaro and Santa Clara, (and to our house ) was a beautiful tree lineed 2 lane boulevard with flowing trees which were towering over the road about 100 ft tall.
The boulevard had no median strip so it was easy to make turns into parking lots of business that lined both sides of the street.
For some reason about the first week of November we saw them cutting down those trees. At first I figured that they were trimming a few, then a few days later more started coming down while the bulldozers started leveling out the area to widen the street.
Ok, I'm all for progress, so they will simply pave the street, widen it a tad eliminate the pot holes and clean it all up a little.
Fast forward into March.
The trees are all gone, all you see is the stark frontages of all the businesses that were somewhat hidden under and behind the massive trees.
To make matters worse you now have to drive at least 500 meters or so just so you can turn around if you have to exit or enter a business because for some reason in the wisdom of the street maestro they have started putting in a concrete median.
A median?
But why?
All it does is cut of easy access to business and makes you have to waste gas and time to go all the way past where you need to go just to turn around in the other direction.
Were not talking about a real busy area either.
Must be whats called Año de Hidalgo.
Año de Hidalgo is when the current political faction who has been in power for the last term, grants lucrative contracts to buddies and friends. On the way out. This is not only done in Mexico but NOB has it's same contract awards for political contributions.....
My theory is that some contractor sold a bill of goods of how great it would make Patzcuaro's
southern entrance look with a wide boulevard.
So much for beautiful tree lined welcoming streets.
Now we have a 4 land black asphalt road with two lanes each way and a meaning strip with 10 inch concrete sides that some tipsy driver will get their pickup truck stuck on , each weekend.....
But that's just my opinion.
6 comments:
I could just image that street with tall trees. A shame.
The street was too crowded for the traffic it carried. But it appears the construction is looking for a problem to solve that simply was not there.
When you mentioned this to me the other day, I thought you were referring to work in Opopeo. But no!
What's to be done with you, Tancho? This is a continuation of the fantastic upgrade to the ring road (Libramiento) of Pátzcuaro. Recall the grim, narrow, potholed, free-for-all Libramiento on the other side of town before the great renovation and widening? It's a million times better, safer and more attractive to boot.
That's what's happening here. I'd bet they intend to put trees in the median too, as they did on the other side of town.
Your photo makes it look dreadful now, but just you wait... And as awful as it looks in your photo, it was even more awful before.
You want trees? There are plenty of trees elsewhere.
In the name of progress - grrrr. We have those same processes going on in Xico. I think Mexico lacks engineering technique and planning.
What right thinking person(s) would add those 180 turn-a-rounds to require additional fuel and fumes. Blank stare...
Steve, it may have been occasionally crowed but now it will simply allow people to speed more than they already did on the single direction lanes....
Felipe, yes the old Libramento in town was potholed and bad, but our small strech with cascading flowing trees was worth keeping. Now there is 4 lanes of asphalt, with no purpose other than to bring more traffic.
The photo is what it looks, in your own words "Dreadful" No center grass or bushes will bring back the hundred year old trees.
And yes I have a how ranch full of trees.....but not like those they chopped down.
Just think of how the Lazaro Cardenas boulevard would look from your house to your new apartment if they cut those trees down?
Do you see what I mean?
Calypso,
It is sad, but I would not recommend having another bureaucracy of the department of planning and design.....enough of those NOB.
But sad for the trees anyway.
Post a Comment