On Monday, Mexicans voted to cease construction of the Foster + Partners– and Fernando Romero Enterprise–designed Mexico City International Airport as part of a referendum proposed by president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador in August.
According to the Associated Press, 70 percent of voters opposed completion of the project, which broke ground in 2015. According to the same article , López Obrador said the cancellation would save Mexicans about $5 billion of the total $13 billion budget. But according to a Washington Post article, the cancellation of the project could cost the Mexican government $5 billion due to "completed construction and existing contracts."
The Texcoco, Mexico, project was originally approved in 2014 by exiting president-elect Enrique Peña Nieto as part of a design competition, and went on to face criticism from the Mexican public over allegations of environmental irresponsibility and corruption.
No plans have been made for the future of the unfinished site, although López Obrador has reportedly said he hopes to turn it into “a big sports and ecological center for Mexico City.”
