The New Sayulita Boulevard: An Interview with Daniel Camacho Venegas

Daniel Camacho Venegas, the president of JXMP, was recently named the new Secretary of Transit in Sayulita. As part of his new role, he is on the Pueblo Magico Construction Committee for the building of the new Sayulita Boulevard. Daniel shares with El Sayulero more about this committee, where the funds for the boulevard are coming from, and much more.

So, tell me more about this committee? How did it start and who else is on it?

First off, let me clarify, there is a Pueblo Magico committee, and then there is the Pueblo Magico Construction Committee, which was formed strictly to supervise the construction of the new boulevard. The construction committee was formed via nominations at a general meeting of the town people. Arq. Luis Angel Gordian is the president, I’m the secretary, and Hugo Ruiz Rodriguez and Mario Rodriguez Ramos are town representatives.

So, what is your role as the Secretary of Transit in Sayulita?

My role is to bring order to the streets in town, as far as maintaining traffic flow, parking, and keeping the streets clean in order to make this happen. This includes where people can park, where they can’t park, and removing obstacles from the street, such as sandwich boards, so that there is additional parking. Better infrastructure, in general, is the end goal.

Where will the new boulevard start and where will it end?

It will start at the peak of Avenue de Revolucion, where you turn into Sayulita off the Punta de Mita Highway, and it will go to the Centro de Salud (just a short distance past the bus stop).

Why build a new Sayulita Boulevard?

Well, this was a controversial topic for us initially, as we know it’s not the main concern of the town with the need for better trash collection, issues with the water treatment plant, and so forth. At first we fought back because we didn’t think Sayulita needed a new boulevard and we could think of about 10 other things we thought were more important for the town. However, it turns out the funds being used to construct the new boulevard can only be used for infrastructure of the streets. The funds can’t go towards anything else.

Who is funding the new Sayulita Boulevard and how was it decided the money should be spent for this project?

The funds are coming from the Secretary of Federal Tourism, as the building of the new boulevard is a federal project that was intended for a Pueblo Magico town. They had a budget set aside for this purpose of approximately $30 million pesos and the Secretary of State Tourism for Nayarit worked very hard to get it for Sayulita. Due to his efforts, we were approved for a project budgeted at $23 million pesos, which we are now calling the Boulevard and Pelicanos Street project.

What will be done to Pelicanos Street?

Pelicanos, from Revolucion to Punta de Mita highway, will be cobblestoned.

How is the construction of the boulevard affecting traffic in and out of Sayulita?

Well, it’s a little chaotic right now because that is the main entrance to town, but we will be hiring some people to help with the flow of traffic on different streets. Currently, people are taking side streets, like Pelicanos and Libertad, to get into town since the boulevard is closed during construction.

The bus stop has been moved during the boulevard construction. Where is it now and how do people get into town? Are there taxis there?

The bus stop is currently on the Punta de Mita highway, a block before Don Juan’s. A lot of people are walking into town - they are being dropped off at Pelicanos, which leads straight into town. As far as taxis, I haven’t seen many out there.  

What will the new Sayulita Boulevard be like when it is finished? Are there parking plans included in this boulevard?

The street will be very wide, and cobblestoned with concrete tracks for vehicle tires. There will be a bike track, as well as a sidewalk, and trees and palms will line the sides of the boulevard. There aren’t plans for parking with the boulevard construction, but there are some big projects for parking in the future that I’m hoping are approved.

When do you expect construction to be complete?

We are planning to have it finished by December, but we are hoping it is done before then.

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