News / Paralysis after crash on key Mexican road prompts calls for government action

© Suriel Ramirez Zaldivar |

A crash that snared traffic for more than a day on one of Mexico’s busiest highways last week has truckers and other business interests calling for government action to address the nation’s road infrastructure problems.

On 22 November, an accident that involved two trailers caused a spill as well as damage to the road, resulting in a closure of the vital highway linking the capital with Queretaro. The ensuing congestion, exacerbated by a second accident, caused a traffic jam that stretched for nearly 40km and took 28 hours to clear.

The sheer volume of traffic on that highway has been fingered as one reason for the epic paralysis, but local media and truckers have argued that the incident has highlighted severe deficiencies in Mexico’s road infrastructure, exposing the vulnerability of major arteries as well as the lack of alternatives.

The Mexico-Queretaro highway is not the only major artery that has been overwhelmed by the increase in traffic. Truckers have pointed out that the highways that link the capital to the freight gateways of Laredo and Veracruz do not have the capacity to accommodate the traffic.

On top of that, they claim there is insufficient maintenance of the highways.

These problems are exacerbated by a lack of alternatives to circumnavigate traffic jams on those highways. Truckers say they are forced to use them, owing to security issues and operating conditions. Truckers as well as shippers are wary of using lesser roads.

The National Council of Logistics and Supply Chain Executives (ConaLog) pointed out that road congestion was having a considerable impact on companies’ operating costs. Last week’s accident took a serious toll on truckers’ bottom lines. One reported a 10% increase in operating costs and a 20% drop in productivity as a result.

Companies are trying to mitigate the impact of road congestion through technology to monitor traffic conditions and communicate with customers, sometimes resetting delivery schedules, but there is a sense that action from the government is needed to arrest the worsening situation. They warn that the problems will continue to deteriorate unless there is a joint effort from government and industry stakeholders.

One trucker called the accident a wake-up call for government, emphasising that this was a problem not only for the transport sector but for the entire national economy.

Among the action called for is monitoring of traffic conditions in real time, but ConaLog stressed the need for a broader approach, which should include route diversification, use of multimodal transport options, strategic planning of schedules and the deployment of technology.