Map of the Route, New Highway From Guadalajara

Robert:

We first blogged on this subject in June of last year. The work on this new four lane highway began in earnest in 2011, and even on older (2012) Google Earth images, you can see many kilometers of new highway, starting at the Jala exit (on the Guadalajara to Tepic toll road), then cutting through the Sierras towards Las Varas. Why does the highway suddenly disappear, then reappear? Tunnels through the mountains.

Completion dates are now 2016-2017-ish. But, it is really happening, and will make this coast much more easily accessible to people driving in from Guadalajara, Leon, San Luis Potosi, etc. Many of these are very affluent Mexicans, who will want second homes on the beach. This highway, when completed, and even the anticipation of completion,  will turbo-charge this real estate market.

There will be four lanes from Jala to Las Varas, then 2 lanes down the coast to Bucerias and Vallarta. But the two lanes of that last leg will be just inland of the existing coast highway, and far better engineered, with fewer sharp curves and switchbacks.

Below is a link to a Google Maps satellite image showing where the new highway leaves the Guadalajara-Tepic toll road, just before Jala. You can follow the road work by moving the satellite image. This image was shot in fall of 2012, so a lot more work has been done since then.

For satellite image CLICK HERE.
The image is scrollable, and you can track the roadwork much deeper into the Sierras than the first screen shows.