Tijuana’s water utility CESPT (Comisión Estatal de Servicios Públicos de Tijuana) has started replacing nearly three kilometers of aging drainage infrastructure in the Fortín de las Flores neighborhood. The existing sewer network is more than 60 years old and had long exceeded its useful life.
The project covers 2,778 linear meters of sewer line, along with 190 residential discharge connections and 42 inspection wells. Federal, state, and municipal governments are funding the work, which carries a price tag of nearly 14 million pesos (approximately $700,000 USD). As of mid-April 2026, crews have completed about 25% of the job.
Pipe-Bursting Method Limits Street Disruptions
CESPT is using a pipe-bursting technique on some sections of the project. This method fractures the old pipe underground while pulling a new one through the same path, avoiding the need for full trench excavation. The approach limits surface disruption on neighborhood streets.
For residents and expats in the Fortín de las Flores area, the ongoing construction explains current road closures and detours. CESPT officials say the agency is keeping neighbors informed as work progresses through the colonia.
Chronic Sewage Problems in Older Colonias
The replacement targets a persistent problem in older Tijuana neighborhoods: sewage surfacing on public streets. When pipes deteriorate past their useful life, cracks and collapses allow raw sewage to back up and pool on roadways. Fortín de las Flores is located in Tijuana’s eastern urban core, one of many colonias built during the city’s rapid expansion in the 1960s.
Tijuana’s sewer infrastructure has been a major concern on both sides of the border. The city’s wastewater facilities have not kept pace with population growth, and many poorer communities remain unconnected to formal sewer lines. In January 2024, Mexico broke ground on a replacement for a crumbling wastewater treatment plant in the region, and neighborhood-level pipe replacements like this one form part of a broader effort to modernize the city’s aging system.
The Fortín de las Flores project was first reported by Jornada BC on April 15, 2026.