Constructors say the stretch running from the Zapotlanejo highway to the Guadalajara-Chapala highway is about one-third complete.
Finishing the remaining 80 kilometers will take much longer, they admit. The expropriation of large chunks of privately-owned communal land (ejidos) has been challenged in the courts, while environmental concerns have led to many additional studies, causing lengthy delays.
First mooted ten years ago, the macrolibramiento will bypass the south of the city from Zapotlanejo to El Arenal on the Nogales highway, crossing the Colima highway on its route.
Its major aim is to ease the transportation of cargo through the suburbs of Guadalajara, in particular trucks coming from the busy port of Manzanillo. It will also relieve Avenida Lazaro Cardenas and the Periferico beltway of many heavy goods vehicles.
To accommodate species that may be affected by the road, around 50 elevated wildlife crossings are to be built along the Macrolibramiento. In addition, a massive reforestation of the zone is planned, with a minimum of 250,000 trees expected to be planted – thee times the amount that will be felled to build the highway.
Communications magnate Carlos Slim’s construction firm Ideal is laying 70 percent of the highway and will operate the concession for 30 years. When complete, motorists can expect to be charged a toll for using the highway.