Tijuana Mayor Ismael Burgueño Ruiz inaugurated a new stormwater drainage system on Calle Educación in the Valle Verde neighborhood on May 14. The project, funded with 8.4 million pesos (roughly $420,000 USD) from federal Ramo 33 (FAISMUN) block grant funds, is expected to reduce flood risk for about 10,000 residents in the La Presa Abelardo L. Rodríguez delegation.
The drainage system consists of a 152-meter reinforced concrete storm channel running between Calle Ánimo and Calle 12. Construction involved excavation, reinforced concrete work, and the installation of a safety railing along the channel.
Road Improvements Included in the Project
Beyond the storm drain itself, the city completed complementary road work in the area. Crews poured more than 1,000 square meters of hydraulic concrete paving, built 311 square meters of new sidewalks, installed 270 linear meters of curbing, and constructed a retaining wall.
Virginia Vargas González, head of the Secretaría de Desarrollo Territorial y Urbano (SDTUA), the city’s territorial and urban development department, said the project targets longstanding infrastructure gaps that have affected Tijuana families for decades. La Presa Abelardo L. Rodríguez is one of several hillside delegations in eastern Tijuana where rapid population growth has outpaced basic services.
Flood Risk Before Rainy Season
The completion comes ahead of Tijuana’s rainy season, which typically runs from late fall through winter. Inadequate drainage in hillside colonias regularly causes road closures, property damage, and dangerous flash flooding. Municipal officials said they will continue monitoring areas with infrastructure deficits to schedule future phases of paving and basic services in Tijuana’s fastest-growing delegations.
City council member Magaly Ronquillo Palacios called the inauguration “a historic day for Valle Verde.” Burgueño said the project was carried out because “a need exists and it is our obligation to address it.”
The story was first reported by Jornada BC and confirmed by multiple Tijuana outlets including El Tijuanense and Tijuana Última Hora.