After almost three decades since its construction began, the so-called Short Route to Puerto Vallarta has come to an end, so if you want to use this fully completed highway, it will take you two and a half hours to travel from Guadalajara to the tourist destination.
On Saturday, December 21, the missing section of this highway was opened to traffic, which includes six toll booths along its route and will considerably reduce travel time, according to estimates by the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT).
The recently inaugurated section connects Bucerías with the Puerto Vallarta International Airport. This work has been awaited for many years by travelers looking to optimize their time on the road.
The benefit, however, comes with a cost. The rate of the new toll booth increased the total price of the round trip to almost 2,600 pesos.
The cost of the 6 toll booths between Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta totals 1,290 pesos. The payment at the El Arenal toll booth is 193 pesos; Plan de Barrancas, 288; Amado Nervo, 193; La Peñita, 171 and the toll booth located before reaching Puerto Vallarta is 445 pesos.
Despite this additional expense, it is expected that the Short Route will attract more tourists and facilitate access to the region, thus boosting the local economy and improving connectivity between Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta.
The Short Route from Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta has been under construction for more than a decade. The starting flag for the works on this highway was given in 2011 and, although it was established that it would be finished in 2014, this did not happen.
The first section was put into operation in December 2022.
The investment in this 86.6-kilometer-long project was more than 10 billion pesos and benefits 17 communities.
Source: mural
