Tijuana’s water and sewer utility has an inventory of roughly 10,000 unfilled potholes and open trenches scattered across the city, director Mónica Vega Aguirre confirmed on April 8. The Comisión Estatal de Servicios Públicos de Tijuana (CESPT) called the backlog “a great challenge” and pledged 100 million pesos (about $5.5 million USD) to begin closing the gap.
The majority of complaints CESPT receives involve trenches left open for months or even years after crews completed underground pipe repairs. Under the previous arrangement, CESPT handled water and sewer line work while the municipal government was responsible for repaving. That model collapsed because the city could not keep up with the volume, Vega explained.
300 Million Pesos Spent Since 2021, Backlog Persists
Despite 300 million pesos (roughly $16.5 million USD) invested in pothole repairs since 2021, the backlog remains enormous. Many of the 10,000 open sites were inherited from prior administrations, according to Tijuana en Línea. Vega, who took over as CESPT director in late January, said the agency is now taking direct responsibility for resurfacing instead of waiting on the municipality.
The new 100 million peso commitment will pay for 60,000 square meters of resurfacing using both concrete and asphalt. Work is being scheduled by district, with crews prioritizing the oldest open trenches first. Vega said she personally drives through the city to identify problem spots and feed them into the scheduling system.
How to Report a Pothole
Residents can report new potholes by calling the 073 hotline or contacting CESPT through its social media channels. Vega called citizen reports essential for keeping the repair schedule accurate and ensuring crews reach the worst sites first.
CESPT is simultaneously working on larger infrastructure projects across the city. A separate rehabilitation of the Rosario Salado sewer subcollector along Avenida Guadalajara in the Sánchez Taboada area is more than 85 percent complete, covering over 2 kilometers of sewer line. That project, which benefits an estimated 46,000 residents, used trenchless methods to avoid creating new road damage.
Drivers on secondary roads throughout Tijuana should expect rough conditions for the foreseeable future. The agency has not set a deadline for completing all 10,000 repairs.
This story was first reported by Punto Norte and Tijuana en Línea.