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Through lands of fire and sea
On the border between the current states of Jalisco and Colima, in the southwest of Mexico and very close to its Pacific Coast, are the Volcanes de Fuego , at 3,820 m high and the most active volcano in the country. Next to it, the older and already extinct Nevado de Colima, at 4,240 m. Right at its foot, where the ancient inhabitants of the area placed the ancestral kingdom of Huehuetéotl, the ‘old god of fire’ (so called because he pre-dates all others) runs a key section of a historic and very busy overland route, dating back to pre-Hispanic times.
More than half a dozen deep cliffs created by volcanic activity criss-cross this mountain pass of barely 20 km, hindering the transit of travellers and goods since time immemorial. Until the long-awaited four-lane expansion of the Guadalajara-Colima toll highway was inaugurated at the end of 2022: a completely new two-lane road section, parallel to but separate from the existing one and elevated on a series of huge bridges, up to half a kilometre long and 145 m high.
A massive work carried out by Banobras, the National Bank of Public Works and Services, which in 2011 awarded the contract to Ineco as administrator and supervisor of the concession. The highway is the contemporary version of the old Camino Real de Colima, created in the 16th century for the transport of travellers and the trade of goods arriving from overseas to the Pacific ports, which was known as ‘La Mar del Sur’. Since the mid-19th century, Manzanillo has stood out from its competitors to become the most important on the Pacific coast today. Its development in turn boosted the development of the neighbouring city of Colima, the state capital, from which it is just over 73 km away.
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A key passage
The Atenquique ravine, which in the Nahuatl language means ‘place of the river that meanders the water between stones’, marked the end of the route of the stagecoaches ( the 19th century bus services) coming from Guadalajara and Ciudad Guzmán. From there, one would continue on horseback until crossing the ravines and then take another carriage to Colima.
In the 20th century, the railway was introduced in 1908 and, from the 1920s onwards, motor vehicles replaced the mule drivers' mules for freight transport and the stagecoaches for passenger transport. In the meantime, the passage along the volcanoes continued to be a challenge to land transit. First, with Federal Highway 54, inaugurated at the end of the 1950s, and from 1987, with the new 148 km Guadalajara-Colima toll highway.
The Guadalajara-Colima toll highway was one of the first to be opened by the federal government to private management since October 20, 1987, through a concession, in which Ineco has participated since 2011. Therefore, since then, and as part of its control tasks, the company has been in charge of supervising the projects and directing the successive improvement and extension works that have been carried out. Of these, the largest and most complex to date has been the construction of the ‘Mountain Section’
It was one of the first to be opened by the federal government to private management since October 20, 1987, through a concession, in which Ineco has participated since 2011. Therefore, since then, and as part of its control tasks, the company has been in charge of supervising the projects and directing the successive improvement and extension works that have been carried out. Of these, the largest and most complex to date has been the construction of the ‘Mountain Section’.
The new axis has doubled the capacity of the road in that sector, reducing the travel time between Guadalajara and Colima, for the first time in its long history, to only hour and a half. Finally, modern engineering has managed to overcome the challenge of the old god of fire.
New ways
Photo: Ineco
The Guadalajara-Colima toll highway was not only a pioneer in terms of transportation infrastructure, but also in terms of management: it was one of the first in which the federal government, through Banobras, the National Bank of Public Works, decided to apply a new operating model open to private participation and based on the application of performance standards.
Thus, instead of a single manager, the tasks of the concession are divided between an Administrator-Supervisor Agent (ASA), a role that Ineco has played since 2011 after winning the contract at the head of a consortium of Spanish Mexican companies) and the Maintainer-Rehabilitator-Operator (MRO). The ASA manages and monitors compliance with performance standards, plans and coordinates major works and provides support in the contracting of companies responsible for maintenance and operation.
According to Banobras, among its advantages these include a reduction in costs and risks, technological improvements in highways and the quality of service to users, as well as greater control over revenues, which have increased on average by 11% annually across the highway since the start of the new operating model.
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The magnificent seven
One of the many local legends tells that the El Beltrán ravine It owes its name to a local bandit who died before being able to spend any of the money stolen from the muleteers who were forced to cross the ravine with their mules. It is said that he became so frustrated that he would appear to walkers and offer them the location of his treasure for free, which was never found.
Today, large trucks , many with double trailers, have replaced the mule drivers' pack trains- which gave rise to the famous saying: ‘Arrieros somos y en el camino nos encontraremos’ (What goes around comes around)- in the transport of goods, but they still have to cross the same imposing ravine. Only now, unlike then, they can do it in just a few seconds over the great El Beltrán bridge.
It is one of the seven major structures (three metal and the rest in concrete) that are the backbone of the new highway body, of which Ineco, as part of its duties as Supervising Administrative Agent, carried out the project review, supervision of the works and the traffic study.
The Nuevo Atenquique, El Beltrán and Platanar I bridges are the longest, more than half a kilometer, and also the highest: more than 145 meters above the ground, the equivalent of more than twice the height of the Guadalajara Cathedral (65.9 meters), or a 33-story skyscraper.
Next in size are El Limón, with a length of almost 468 metres and a height of nearly 97 metres and El Platanar II, Agua Escondida and La Clavelina, with lengths of around 160 metres and heights of 88, 82 and 49 metres, respectively.
The mountain section, in figures
- Effective length of the section: 16.49 km, slightly shorter than the section in operation (18.7 km.)
- Location: between km 103 and 120. Parallel to but separated from the existing one, at an average distance of 1.2 km, and a maximum of 2.4 km at the most distant point, in Atenquique.
- Main structures: seven large bridges (2.3 km in total), three of them made of metal and the rest of concrete, with different construction typologies and 24 overpasses and underpasses for vehicles.
- Additional works: 19 hydraulic works and 4.8 km of side roads.
- Road width: 10.5 m .
- Traffic intensity: 15,200 vehicles per day, 39% trucks and trailers.
- Design speed: 110 km/h.
- Benefited population: 16 thousand inhabitants of 19 neighbouring communities.
Source: Banobras
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From the Gulf to the South Seas
The highway is part of the large transversal corridor that links the ports of Manzanillo and Tampico in the Gulf of Mexico, along more than a thousand kilometers, one of the 15 routes classified as ‘trunk’ by the federal government.
When it opened, in 1987, only 77 of its 148 km had four lanes. After the extensions completed in 2012, 2015 and 2022, the entire highway now has four lanes (two in each direction) and since 2016, there have been six lanes in the last 14 km before reaching Colima. All actions were coordinated and supervised by Ineco.
The route begins about 35 km south of the city of Guadalajara, capital of the state of Jalisco and the third most populated metropolitan area in the country. With just over 5 million inhabitants, it is also an important economic and cultural centre.
The highway connects the towns of Acatlán de Juárez (where the first toll is located), Zacoalco de Torres, Teocuitatlán de Corona, Atoyac, Sayula (where the second toll is located, with two toll booths, a main and remote one), Gómez Farías, Tuxpan and Tonila, all of them in Jalisco. At km 87 there is a connection to Ciudad Guzmán (112,000 inhabitants). The third toll booth, San Marcos, is located on the border of the state of Colima, to which the town of Cuauhtémoc belongs, where the toll road ends, 15 km away from the city of Colima.
According to Banobras, the entire route registers a daily traffic of 15,600 vehicles, of which 41% are cargo vehicles, originating or destined for the port of Manzanillo, the great economic engine of the region: it moves 70% of the maritime container traffic on the Pacific coast of Mexico and 46% of the national total, according to data from the Employers' Confederation of the Mexican Republic (Coparmex). In addition to its port activity, it is a popular sun and beach tourist destination, known for its sport fishing activities.
Ineco in Mexico
Photo: Ineco
Ineco opened its subsidiary Inecomex in 2011, after winning the contract as ASA for the Guadalajara-Colima highway. It is currently involved in projects such as the Tren Maya and the expansion of the Mexico City Metro and has three offices and almost fifty professionals in the country.
Its first works date back to 2000, with the development of the Master Plans for the 12 GAP (Pacific Airport Group) airports, in collaboration with the airport manager Aena Internacional.
In 2005, the company participated, along with the Spanish manufacturer CAF, in a major project for the Suburban Railways of Mexico: the construction of the Buenavista-Cuautitlán Interurban line, which led to the opening, in 2006, of a permanent branch. In 2010, work began on the road network, with the design of the new management model for the Atlacomulco-Maravatío highway for Banobras, and the study to improve the signage of the highways operated by CAPUFE, between Mexico City-Veracruz, Mexico City-Acapulco and Mexico City-Irapuato, for FONADIN.
