Mexico to invest US$2.5bn in road infrastructure this year

Mexico will invest 46.4bn pesos (US$2.51bn) in road infrastructure in 2025, focused on seven priority axes, six continuity works, artisanal roads, conservation and maintenance.

Of the total, 21.8bn pesos are for roads, 15.6bn pesos for conservation, 8.37bn pesos for infrastructure development, and 550mn pesos for technical services, according a press release by the infrastructure, communications and transportation ministry (SICT).

Continuity works, which started in the previous administration, will get 4.6bn pesos. These works are the Rizo de Oro bridge in Chiapas, the Real del Monte-Entronque Huasca highway in Hidalgo, Acayucan-Entronque la Ventosa in Veracruz, the Ciudad Valle-Tamazunchale section connecting Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí, the Nichupté vehicular bridge in Quintana Roo and the San Ignacio-Tayoltita highway connecting Sinaloa and Durango.

During a recent meeting with the lower house infrastructure committee, undersecretary Juan Carlos Fuentes Orrala highlighted seven priority axes with an investment of 11.9bn pesos.

These axes are: Cuautla-Tlapa-Marquelia in Morelos, Puebla and Guerrero; Pachuca-Huejutla-Tamazunchale in Hidalgo and San Luis Potosí; Macuspana-Escárcega in Campeche and Tabasco; Toluca-Zihuatanejo in Mexico state and Guerrero; Salina Cruz-Zihuatanejo in Guerrero and Salina Cruz in Oaxaca; the Bavispe-Nuevo Casas Grandes section, and Tierra Libertad circuit in Morelos.

Some 3bn pesos will be invested in 114 artisanal roads covering 437km in the states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, Durango, Nayarit, Sonora, Jalisco, Chiapas, Veracruz, Puebla and Colima. The government allocated 542mn pesos to rural and feeder roads, and 1.78bn pesos to bridges and interchanges.

Also, 15.6bn pesos will be allocated to road maintenance, of which 1.84bn pesos are for routine maintenance, 3.49bn pesos for periodic maintenance, 504mn pesos for bridge reconstruction, 100mn pesos for routine bridge maintenance, and 1.03bn pesos for other programs.

Mixed investments

SICT also contemplates 10 highway maintenance public-private partnerships this year, investing 8.64bn pesos in Querétaro, Veracruz, San Luis Potosí, Mexico City-Hidalgo, Nuevo León, Mexico City-Tlaxcala, Chiapas, Campeche-Yucatán and Tamaulipas.

Likewise, 7.05bn pesos are for maintenance of eight highway sections in Oaxaca, Guanajuato, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Chiapas, and Michoacán, 1.12bn pesos for the release of rights of way, and 200mn pesos for studies and projects.

Last week, the government reported that it will allocate at least 30.7bn pesos to develop five highway projects with mixed investments by 2030 under the construction, maintenance and operation model, where the State has a majority.

The mixed investment projects cover nearly 300km of roads and are part of the 173bn-peso national highway infrastructure program which focuses on construction, modernization, expansion and completion of more than 4,000km.

Colima

In Colima, the SICT plans to invest 1.4bn pesos in five new vehicular bridges, the reconstruction of three others, and the Bachetón highway conservation program, according to minister Jesús Esteva Medina.

At a recent daily press conference, Esteva also reported that the modernization of the Amería-Manzanillo highway is continuing.

He also announced that construction on the 1.2km, 305mn-peso Libramiento Arco Sur and the 500m, 180mn-peso Libramiento Arco Norte bridges will start in April. Both are in the bidding phase.

Two bridges for Manzanillo port will be built this year: the 700m, 200mn-peso Barrio V bridge and the 800m, 300mn-peso main entrance bridge, while construction of the 700m, 200mn-peso La Flechita bridge will begin in 2026.