Federal Highway Maintenance Program Bachetón Sees Major Advances

The Minister of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation (SICT), Jesús Esteva, reports that the Bachetón program, an initiative aimed at maintaining and improving Mexico’s Federal Toll-Free Highway Network, has made significant advances. The program has already covered nearly 2,000km, benefiting over 100 million Mexicans.

“In December, repaving will begin, covering an additional 600km,” says Esteva. These efforts will complement ongoing collaborations with the Ministry of National Defense (SEDENA) and the Federal Roads and Bridges (CAPUFE), among other programs.

Launched earlier this month, the program has deployed 123 work fronts, involving over 700 workers and nearly 1,000 pieces of equipment across the country. Esteva Medina emphasizes that this marks the program’s first phase, which focuses primarily on pothole repair.

Esteva says that the pothole repairs go beyond superficial fixes. “We cut and repave; this is what we call routine maintenance,” he explains, highlighting that this approach ensures an average lifespan of two to three years, enough time to execute deeper repaving work in subsequent phases.

The program also includes reinforcing the asphalt layers to enhance the functionality and safety of the federal highway network, which spans over 43,000km nationwide.

Since its inception, the program has repaired 11,012 potholes, used 8,780 tons of asphalt mix, improved 54,534m2 of road surface, and rehabilitated 1,912km of the network. 

Next year, the Federal Toll-Free Highway Network will continue receiving dedicated funding to consolidate these projects. Esteva emphasizes that the ultimate goal is to maintain and strengthen the infrastructure that connects Mexico, fostering economic and social development across the nation.