The first stage of the Macrolibramiento (outer city ring road) hasn’t exactly been a hit with motorists, according to a report in Spanish-language daily Mural.
Since opening on July 28, an average of just 114 vehicles a day have used the stretch that runs 26 kilometers from the Chapala to the Zapotlanejo highways.
The newspaper said that a reporter observing over a one-hour period on August 18 noted just 14 vehicles passing in both directions. Three were semi-trucks.
Eventually, the four-lane toll road will continue west from the Chapala highway to the Tepic/Nogales autopista. A major aim is to reroute trucks carrying heavy merchandize away from the metropolitan area, and the Periferico (beltway) in particular.
The cost of using the first stretch of Macrolibramiento is 44 pesos for cars and 93 pesos and up (depending on axil size) for trailers. There is currently only one caseta (toll booth) at the Zapotlanejo end of the highway.
According to Mural, signposting on the road still leaves much to be desired.