OAXACA

[briansue]

Road report to Oaxaca

We had to wait in Carrizo Springs, TX for a package to come in the mail so got a later start than usual plus having to drive further than we normally do from the Texas Welcome Center north of Laredo on I-35. Once over the border we found MX2 to be pretty rough over the MX85 / 85D which was also quite bumpy. There was lots of potholes and broken concrete. We took 40D around Monterrey which involves a few tolls but we didn’t want to risk the time it could take on the libre. Then 57D down from there to the San Pedro Pemex and rest area in the middle of the highway. Still bumping and bouncing. Sorry but I did not keep track of which areas were rough and which were not. We were able to keep a pretty good steady pace most of the way so it wasn’t a killer. No construction zones to speak of.



Carrizo Springs to San Pedro Fuel Stop 366 miles

In fact it could be said that most of the trip was bumpier than we remember. I am not sure but I think the bumpiest area was after crossing in to Guanajuato from San Luis Potosi. Fortunately we turned off and took MX110 over to Dolores Hidalgo and then MX51 down to San Miguel de Allende (a nice new wider smoother road).



San Pedro to San Miguel de Allende 291 miles

We stayed in San Miguel a couple days to get organized and get our Telcel stick working. Then off to Cholula by way of the Arco Norte. MX 111 from San Miguel to Queretaro is a pretty nice new road though there are still some topes, not as many as before. MX57D from Queretaro down to the Arco Norte was in pretty good shape other than the entrance/exit ramps. Arco Norte was in worse shape than you might expect for a relatively new road – at least for the first portion. Closer to the end it smoothed out a bit. 150D from the Arco Norte to Cholula was being paved and we benefitted for a bit from the new surface – traffic was slowed but not a whole lot. 190 to Cholula provided more bumping and bouncing.



San Miguel de Allende to Cholula 240 miles

Stayed in Cholula a couple days to tour the pyramid and go to Puebla to tour a Talavera Fabrica. Leaving Cholula we took 150D and right away found a great deal of construction and very confusing traffic patterns. They are building an elevated highway through Puebla which will eventually put 150D up in the air. For now it is a mess. Took quite a while to get through town. Didn’t ruin the day so probably not as bad as it seemed at the time. We took 135D down to Oaxaca and it was rough most of the way with mountain climbing and curves - for a cuota it is only 2 lanes with wide shoulders so passing is done by using the shoulder in the Mexican style. When we arrived at the new Oaxaca Campground we were told by Del that we should have taken 190 from Cholula down to Oaxaca as it is a nice road. We looked at it on maps as well as Google Earth and it looks very curvy as well as going through villages and being 2 lanes with no shoulder. We are going to research this more to see if the road is improved from Google Earth pictures. According to our mapping program it is 235 miles taking the 135D route and 250 miles on 190 which could be due to more curves. We need to learn more about these two routes. Anyone out there have experience with these routes?



Cholula to Oaxaca (Lachigolo) 235 miles

New Oaxaca Campground has 9 spaces and plenty of extra room. A work in progress. Located less than 10 miles from Oaxaca (you have to sort of go through Oaxaca traffic on 190 to get there) but seems a good location for visiting rug weavers and mezcal places. There are also many villages making things like pottery , baskets, woodworking, and whatever.

https://oaxacacampground.wordpress.com/

We expect to be blogging quite a bit about things we find here. We’ve been wanting to get here for years and with this new campground we thought it was finally time to make the trip. Glad we did so far.

[briansue]

Confusion / consultation / clarification with Del about the route. He has an old tattered Guia Roji (2012)showing the route as 190 or 190D. The correct route from Cholula to Oaxaca is to take 150D out of Cholula through Puebla toward Orizaba (do not go over the pass to Orizaba) and then 135D down to Oaxaca. 135D will merge and become 190 as you enter Oaxaca. Stay on 190 toward Mitla through Oaxaca - on city street with traffic and traffic lights etc. DO NOT TAKE AN RV INTO CENTRO unless you are a small RV. The rest of the direction on the Oaxaca Campground website are correct. I do not know what newer Guia Roji might show. Guia Roji is too difficult to follow for us. Do not take 190 out of Cholula to Oaxaca unless you want a long and curvy mountain road with no shoulder which goes through towns and villages along the way and is 15 miles longer than the cuota route.

[Talleyho69]

oops!

[Talleyho69]

Wish there was a ME GUSTA emoticon, like on other Mexico websites!!!

Maybe we'll run into each other sometime!

[briansue]

I should be afraid of getting shot!

Been coming to Mexico since 1971 - haven't even heard a shot yet - let alone been shot. Risk is in the mind. Clear your mind and live a little. Adventure changes you - for better and not worse. Are there more bullets here than in US? I doubt it. Still love the US and spend most of our time there. But the world has more to offer. For reasons I will never understand people in the US have a very distorted view of Mexico which has little or nothing to do with reality. Did they ever teach is in school that there are pyramids in Mexico larger than those in Egypt? No they did not. There is so much more we do not know and never will if we do not check it out ourselves.

[oldtrojan66]

I envy your determined spirit. I guess I see Mexico as a travel destination like I think of Africa as even big cities having lions roaming the streets! I think of very passing truck as a cartel druggy looking at stealing my truck and rv.

I guess, by that thinking, being this close to Chicago (3 hrs!) I should be afraid of getting shot!

Anyway, happy camping and travel safely!

[briansue]

Sorry - weird internet - connect/disconnect - double click???

[briansue]

We may give that route a try this year. Have always passed that turn and continued on and turned left on to #1 thru Los Rodriguez. That road surface is pretty good but narrow. Just like the Baja!!

Yep - 110 is about as wide as Baja and the same as the other road you mention but it makes the route to San Ramon shorter and you do not have to pass through SMA to get to San Ramon - just a little easier and quicker.

[briansue]

We may give that route a try this year. Have always passed that turn and continued on and turned left on to #1 thru Los Rodriguez. That road surface is pretty good but narrow. Just like the Baja!!

Yep - 110 is about as wide as Baja and the same as the other road you mention but it makes the route to San Ramon shorter and you do not have to pass through SMA to get to San Ramon - just a little easier and quicker.

[briansue]

January 2008??

Yep - that's why I put the date in - old administration - 6 year project - no idea how much they are actually spending our whose projects are being done now with new administration - but new roads still be built and improvement of old roads going on - just trying to point out they are aware of the need and there were quite a few billions being thrown at it. As we passed through Puebla from Cholula a new and very long sort of viaduct is under construction so through traffic should be passing over when it is done. They are also building a similar road around the south end of Mexico City - but not as far out as Arco Norte so it will still be close in to DF. We are on the SW side of Oaxaca on 190 which is now wider with a shoulder so Mexican passing can be done - move to the shoulder or get creamed. Road improvement continues. But they do not seem to be working as much on the major roads as the secondary roads. Hoping more people will post here with more road reports.

[JerBear]

briansue wrote:
Yes - there is now a big Xray machine at Columbia Crossing - and they do not make it easy to get in and out. We did our paperwork early coming across NM south of Deming where there is never a line. But still got held up at Columbia with a snoopy cabinet looksee and then the Xray. The Xray takes awhile as someone somewhere inside has to study the Xray for 15 minutes or so before they let us go.

Though the road is bumpy we were able to keep up to 55 - 60 mph most of the way.

Here is a closer look at the route over to Dolores from 57 and then 51 down to SMA. 110 is not great but not bad - mostly it is narrow with no shoulder. 51 is one of the roads that was completely rebuilt down to dirt a few years ago - widened and leveled - good road - happy to get off 57. 57D is basically fine from Queretaro on down. Going out of SMA 51 to Celaya is also all new and 111 to Queretaro is all new.

Sue has begun blogging.

We may give that route a try this year. Have always passed that turn and continued on and turned left on to #1 thru Los Rodriguez. That road surface is pretty good but narrow. Just like the Baja!!
JerBear

[Talleyho69]

January 2008??

[briansue]

Many of the roads in Mexico are being improved and new roads are being built. Lots of construction and repair. But still many miles that need a lot of help. Here is one of many articles I have read about the situation. They do realize it is economic and transportation is important - the trucks must carry the freight. The plan below talks about 6 years but I guess that is Mexico time.

January 2008 | Feature Stories

Mexico Paves The Road to Prosperity

http://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/mexico-paves-the-road-to-properity

"Nowadays, competitiveness, economic growth, and countries' opportunities for well-being depend largely on the solidity and modernity of their infrastructure," said Mexico President Felipe Calderon on July 18, 2007, the day he announced a five-year, $37-billion public-private funding package to upgrade his country's highways, railways, ports, and airports.

Calderon cited a study showing that every percentage point of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) invested in infrastructure generates additional economic growth of 0.3 percent.

But while Mexico's transportation infrastructure has made great strides to date, obstacles still await. Logistics in Mexico currently costs up to 20 percent more than in the United States, according to consulting firm InfoAmericas.

Locals warn carriers to limit their speed on some stretches. Poor road quality also means carriers must replace trucks more frequently.

New toll road deals cover longer terms, which could encourage better quality. In August 2007, for example, ICA, Mexico's largest construction company, won the right to run four existing toll roads in central Mexico with its $4.1-billion offer in a 30-year concession. Mexico plans to construct 10,900 miles of new roads, one-fourth of them in rural areas.

Of the country's $37-billion infrastructure improvement package announced in July, $26 billion is allocated for roads, with half the additional funding coming from private sources. The government expects to complete 100 road projects, including major highways linking the Pacific and Gulf coasts, over the next six years.

[briansue]

Yes - there is now a big Xray machine at Columbia Crossing - and they do not make it easy to get in and out. We did our paperwork early coming across NM south of Deming where there is never a line. But still got held up at Columbia with a snoopy cabinet looksee and then the Xray. The Xray takes awhile as someone somewhere inside has to study the Xray for 15 minutes or so before they let us go.

Though the road is bumpy we were able to keep up to 55 - 60 mph most of the way.

Here is a closer look at the route over to Dolores from 57 and then 51 down to SMA. 110 is not great but not bad - mostly it is narrow with no shoulder. 51 is one of the roads that was completely rebuilt down to dirt a few years ago - widened and leveled - good road - happy to get off 57. 57D is basically fine from Queretaro on down. Going out of SMA 51 to Celaya is also all new and 111 to Queretaro is all new.

Sue has begun blogging.

[JerBear]

Thanks for the update Brian. We will be taking that route in a few weeks hopefully. Will check out that route to Dolores Hidalgo and then to SMA. We usually come in thru Rodriguez and then into SMA but as we are going to San Ramon that may be a better route. Sounds like it may be slow going from Laredo down. I heard they have a X-Ray machine for vehicles heading in to Mexico now??
JerBear