Above: Salinas

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Puerto Rico will be investing $3.5 million in the construction of a new malecon, or seafront boulevard, in the area of Salinas.

The Malecon, which will be located in the La Playa community, will include a total refurbishment, including a more attractive jetty, the addition of two small parks and a performance dais, among other features.

The city’s jetty is among its main tourist attractions.

“This community is known for its restaurants, marina and hostels,” Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla said on a visit to the area. “It receives tourists from both Puerto Rico and abroad.”

The project will also include improved street paving, water and sewage improvements, bicycle space and new telecommunications infrastructure.

The project was developed in part by architecture students from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, who designed the conceptual design for the Malecon’s seawall.

The government said the Puerto Rico Tourism Company was also developing an economic development plan for the community, focusing on strengthening existing businesses in the area and identifying new entrepreneurs to help develop their own business plans.

The project is part of an island-wide plan to improve waterfront areas; about $26.5 million is being spent in eight different communities in Puerto Rico.