Construction of the new Silao-San Miguel de Allende highway will begin in December of this year, according to Juan Pablo Pérez Beltrán, Secretary of Public Works, in an interview. He confirmed that it will take two years to complete, meaning it will be completed by March 2027.
On August 30, 2024, the consortium formed by VISE and the Spanish company Construcciones Rubau won the 30-year concession for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the Silao-San Miguel de Allende highway and the remodeling of the Guanajuato-Silao highway, which were put out to tender and awarded together, “as a package.”
This was determined by the Directorate of Bidding and Single Registry of Contractors of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Connectivity, and Mobility (SICOM, now SOP) when issuing the decision on the national public bidding process.
The new Silao-San Miguel de Allende highway will measure 51.17 kilometers. The Guanajuato-Silao highway measures 13.52 kilometers, according to the same tender.
Scheme of the Silao-San Miguel de Allende highway. Photo: Courtesy
Javier Ledesma Flores, then Director of Bids and Single Contractor Registry, reported that the winning consortium will invest a total of 6 billion 91 million 447 thousand 176 pesos, broken down into the following expenditures for both projects:
VISE and its partner will cost 6 billion pesos to build the Silao-SMA highway and remodel the Guanajuato-Silao highway.
$107,626,340 pesos as an initial payment to the State Government for the construction of the Silao-San Miguel de Allende highway.
$4,349,767,041 pesos for the construction of the Silao-San Miguel de Allende highway
$580,866,781 pesos for the remodeling of the Guanajuato-Silao highway
As this is a concession, the State Government will not contribute a single peso to finance either project.
The Guanajuato-Silao toll booth will be moved in March 2026
The Secretary of Public Works also reported that in March 2026, the Guanajuato-Silao toll booth will be moved and expanded from 5 to 8 lanes. The project will be moved one kilometer inside the highway, so that it will be located before the detour to San José de Cervera, in the south of the city.
He commented that the final project was submitted on March 24 of this year and is under review by the Ministry of Public Works. But once the toll booth is in its new location, the line of vehicles waiting to pay the toll should not exceed 300 meters or 15 seconds.
The official stated that the Gto-Silao highway is the busiest in the center of the country. To complete it, 580 million pesos are needed for the highway renovation.
…And the Silao-San Felipe
Regarding the Silao-San Felipe highway, the Secretary of Public Works revealed that the possibility is being analyzed that if the Federation does not respond to Governor Libia García Muñoz Ledo’s request to finance the expansion, it could be awarded a concession, but it is not yet a fact, just a possibility.
This was stated by Juan Pablo Pérez Beltrán, head of that agency, first before local deputies during the First Government Report and later in an interview with reporters.
In the interview, he explained that it’s a project that costs a lot of money, but he doesn’t have the figures because a complete executive project would first need to be generated, which isn’t available. The executive project would provide the cost of the expansion.
Hence, the Silao-San Felipe highway was presented as part of the project portfolio by Governor Libia Dennise to President Claudia Sheinbaum.
“The Silao-San Felipe highway is vital for the transport of goods to the north of the country, which is why we will continue to insist on it.”
“The proposal has been presented, but we haven’t received a response yet. In that sense, another alternative could be explored, such as a concession, but that will be discussed later. We would have to check with the Federal Government to see if it’s definitely not a viable project for them. They could tell us, but we could review it in the coming months,” he said.
Throughout Diego Sinhue Rodríguez’s six-year term, he insisted in statements to the media that the Federal Government should fund the expansion of that highway, from the current two lanes to four lanes, because it was the one with the highest accident rate in the state. Andrés Manuel López Obrador never listened to him.
Recurring Accidents, Drivers’ Fault
On another topic in the same appearance, Juan Pablo Pérez Beltrán reported that accidents on the Dolores Hidalgo-San Miguel de Allende highway and the Silao-San Felipe highway are the responsibility of vehicle drivers.
He reported that in 2024, 150 accidents occurred on the Silao-San Felipe highway, 51 due to speed violations and 23% due to prohibited maneuvers. Therefore, he called for attention and respect for all vertical and horizontal signs and to avoid improper passing.
The roadway is maintained annually, but given the vehicle load, it does require expansion for safe travel.
Year after year, we don’t let it collapse. We are rehabilitating it with patching, and above all, installing horizontal and vertical signage so there are no or fewer accidents,” he commented.
He specified that there were 44 accidents on the Dolores Hidalgo-San Miguel de Allende highway last year due to excessive speed and other causes, with zero fatalities and 27 injuries.
Dolores-San Miguel highway expansion to be completed in July
PAN representative Angélica Casillas and Morena representative Ricardo Ferro asked him about the progress and the status of the Dolores Hidalgo-San Miguel de Allende highway. This two-lane highway is being expanded to four starting in October 2023. The total is 30.5 kilometers.
Juan Pablo Pérez reported that the actual physical progress is 57.1% compared to 57% planned, according to the signed contracts. “We continue working 24/7 to complete this project. We have scheduled to be completed next July,” specifically on July 31.
“At no point has the work been halted on the 28 kilometers that have been permitted. The other 2.7 kilometers of the La Cieneguita section are currently being held up due to an injunction.
An expropriation process could be viable (for those 2.7 kilometers), but this would take a long time. Right now, we believe it’s more feasible to leave that section out,” he commented.
“It’s important to clarify that at no point has the work been halted along the 28 kilometers. The delays are due to external factors, primarily legal ones.” “We continue working elsewhere,” stated the Secretary of Public Works.
In saying this, he was referring to the 212-day delay in the completion of the project, as it should have been completed in October 2024 but has not yet been completed due to the filing of nine injunctions in different sections, as published by AM on October 29, 2024.
“At this time, no sanctions are being contemplated for the company, because the causes are external,” he clarified in response to a question from Representative Ricardo Ferro, who lives in San Miguel de Allende.
When asked by the legislator about the increase in the cost of the project due to the delay, he said that they are analyzing it, and several factors are being taken into account, such as not completing the La Cieneguita section.
“I invite you to walk along the Boulevard de la Libertad and monitor the progress of the project for yourselves,” concluded Pérez Beltrán.
Source: am
