José Reyes Burgos
Puerto Vallarta

This same year the Federal Highway 200 will begin to be intervened with public works that will extend it so that it has 4 lanes, this with the purpose of updating this road to the demand of circulation that nowadays has, since being the only access road to the Riviera Nayarit and the main one to Puerto Vallarta having two lanes is not enough anymore, besides that in recent years it has witnessed different accidents and major traffic jams.

It was the governor of Nayarit, Antonio Echevarría García, who announced that during 2019 at least one billion pesos would be invested, an investment that is considered a “priority” for his administration. Also, the Government of Nayarit stressed that the expansion of Highway 200 seeks not to lose tourist competitiveness, since with the periodic final opening of the Jala – Banderas Bay highway traffic would be channeled directly to Puerto Vallarta and skip its way by destinations of the Riviera Nayarit such as Guayabitos, La Peñita de Jaltemba, Sayulita or San Pancho.

For this reason, at least the section from the town of Las Varas to the junction to Punta Mita will be updated and will have 4 lanes, in order to guarantee the traffic of more vehicles with the possibility of exceeding, and not only two. When it is finished, tolls will not be charged, but circulation will remain free, the governor clarified.

The complete route of 4 lanes

The secretary of public works of Nayarit, Ricardo Rincón Yescas, said that originally the idea was to transform the entire Federal Highway 200 to 4 lanes from the municipality of Compostela, however, after carrying out the corresponding studies, it was determined that the section that runs from that town until Las Varas would raise the cost of the work too much, since it crosses hills full of jungle and steep edges.

For this reason, in the new 4-lane route, motorists will be able to take advantage of the second section of the Short Route, the highway that goes from Compostela to Las Varas and which should be completed this year, and then connect in this last village with the Carretera Federal 200 already of 4 lanes, instead of being followed by the third phase Las Varas – Bucerías, which leads directly to Puerto Vallarta.

Also, the update of the Federal Highway 200 will allow a road completely free of traffic thanks to 4 lanes from the city of Tepic to Punta de Mita, because if they wish, motorists can connect from the capital of Nayarit to Jala, using the highway towards Guadalajara, but at this point take the first stage of the Short Way to Compostela and then to Las Varas, where the 4 lane stage of the 200 will begin.