The United States is investing more than US $1.5 billion to build a new embassy and several consulates in Mexico including three whose construction started this month.

Diplomatic staff and officials from the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations held groundbreaking ceremonies during May at sites in Guadalajara, Jalisco; Hermosillo, Sonora; and Nogales, Sonora.

Construction of the new $374-million four-story, energy-efficient consulate in Guadalajara began in the middle of the month.

Consul General Robin Matthewman said the facility in the west of the Jalisco capital will have the capacity to attend to 2,000 people per day.

“The new consulate will demonstrate the importance that the United States gives to the strong political, economic and personal ties that have grown between our countries over time,” she said.

The $230-million consulate in Hermosillo and the $211-million facility in Nogales are both expected to be completed in 2022. Their construction will generate 750 jobs for local workers.

All three new consulates will be high-security facilities equipped with cutting-edge technology.

Commencement of the three new projects follows the beginning of construction in February last year of a new embassy in the Mexico City neighborhood of Nuevo Polanco. It is also expected to open in 2022.

In a series of Twitter posts today, the United States Embassy in Mexico also noted that new consulates opened in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, this month, and in Nuevo Laredo in the same state in April 2018.

Construction of another new consulate in Mérida, Yucatán, is expected to begin next year.

“In total, these projects represent investment greater than $1.5 billion in the Mexican economy through contracts with builders, suppliers and workers,” the embassy said.

“These new diplomatic facilities incorporate design concepts that pay tribute to Mexican and American architectural traditions and include art installations that represent our shared border, history and culture and celebrate our long-lasting friendship and association with Mexico.”

Source: El Economista (sp)