The new highway that will connect Guadalajara with Puerto Vallarta is 7 years late. The Vía Corta (shorter way) is a project that will bring together two of the most important cities in the west of the country.

The road work began during the administration of former President Felipe Calderón (PAN), in 2012, and should have been finished in 2014. Today, 7 years later, Governor Enrique Alfaro is frustrated that the Ministry of Communications and Transportation has not completed it.

“It is a shame that the Ministry of Communications and Transportation cannot resolve this issue … It is incredible that after so many years, such an important work for a fundamental tourist destination for the economy of Jalisco and, I would say, for the economy of the country, is not finished,” he said last April.

He added that he had already requested the completion of the Vía Corta. However, communication with the new AMLO administration had not taken effect.

In 2019, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), during his visit to the municipality of Bahía de Banderas, gave an ultimatum to the company in charge of developing the work, Grupo IDEAL (a subsidiary of Grupo Carso).

He said, “I am going to talk with them. It’s over. They either finish, or the concession is taken away. So be clear. Let those who really want to do things to benefit the development of Mexico do the work.”

In August 2020, AMLO, visited the state of Nayarit. During his trip, he made a commitment to complete the work.

The construction has been divided into 3 sections.

  1. Jala -Compostela: This section has been completed, and has been operational since November 6, 2017.
  2. Compostela – Las Varas: The work was stopped, and then resumed. It is now 65% complete, equivalent to 19.1 kilometers, and is planned for completion by 2023.
  3. Las Varas Puerto Vallarta: This section has advanced 27.8 kilometers, but is only 37.6% complete.

So far, the cost has been 8.7 billion pesos. It is expected to be 9.2 billlion more, for a total of 17.9 billion pesos.

The three highway sections will allow travel from Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta in 2:45 hours, compared to over 5 hours today.

So, what are the problems preventing such an important work? The problems are legal. Most have to do with obtaining environmental permits and right-of-way.

These are often politicized in Mexico, and often subject to corruption.