Negotiating downtown Guadalajara in a car will become more taxing than ever as construction continues on the city’s third Tren Ligero (subway) line. This week saw the partial closure of Avenida 16 de Septiembre to facilitate the start of work on the below-ground “Cathedral” station. The new line will run from central Zapopan to the Tonala bus station. Five of its 18 stations will be underground, all in the city center.
Delays in the downtown area are inevitable, especially at peak hours. Traffic Department officials have been instructed to ensure that illegally parked cars on city center streets are quickly removed to help traffic flow.
Meanwhile, potentially important archaeological remains were discovered last week as simultaneous work began to reinforce the foundations of the Metropolitan Cathedral. Experts from the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) are examining what appear to be ancient ceramic pots and at what first were thought to be human remains. (They were later identified as animal bones.)
An area at the corner of Hidalgo and Alcalde has been cordoned off and work in the zone suspended until INAH personnel have concluded their examination of the would-be archaeological site.
The third Tren Ligero line will run almost directly beneath the Cathedral but engineers say there are no safety concerns for the ancient religious structure.