Residents of downtown Zapopan – as well as visitors to its historic center – heaved a collective sigh of relief this week as the new traffic tunnel at the convergence of Avenidas Americas/Avila Camacho/Laureles finally opened.
Traffic circulation in the zone has been disrupted ever since work on the city’s third Tren Ligero (subway) line began two years ago.
The tunnel is 830 meters in length and runs beneath the elevated subway line and adjacent to the new “Parque Estación Basílica” Line Three station. The expectation is that the new plaza adjoining the station at Zapopan’s entrance arches will become a major gathering place and attraction in the zone.
There are four lanes on the Laureles-Avila Camacho trajectory, and two lanes on the Laureles-Americas stretch.
Mayor Pablo Lemus called the 270-million-peso ($US14.4 million) tunnel “unrivaled” for the municipality.
He admitted, however, that bottlenecks at peak times may occur for the time being as work continues on the still-closed “laterales” of Avenida Laureles running up to the Mercardo del Mar (fish market).
To facilitate fine tuning, the tunnel will be closed between the hours of 11:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. for the next few months.