Port of Veracruz Access Interchange Reaches 80% Completion

The MX$820 million Port of Veracruz access interchange is 80% complete and expected to open in August 2026, cutting travel times and improving freight connectivity.

The Port of Veracruz's new road interchange has reached 80% completion and is expected to open to vehicle traffic in August 2026, according to the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation (SICT).

The MX$820 million (US$45.8 million) project is intended to improve freight and passenger mobility around one of Mexico’s most important maritime gateways. Once operational, the interchange is expected to benefit 780,441 residents of Veracruz, Boca del Rio, Medellin de Bravo, and Jamapa.

The project consists of a 2km elevated roadway with two separate structures and two lanes in each direction. SICT estimates that the new infrastructure will reduce travel times by up to 25 minutes while improving safety and traffic flow near the port.

Construction began in July 2025 and was divided into stages to allow traffic to continue using the surrounding roads. Workers initially cleared and rehabilitated the lateral roads before moving construction activities to the central lanes.

SICT reports that the installation of 264 bridge beams and the casting of the concrete slabs have been completed. Current work includes building a mechanically stabilized earth wall, installing asphalt on one section of the structure, and completing drainage, signaling, and other complementary infrastructure. The project has generated an estimated 2,460 jobs during construction.

Strategic Link to the Port of Veracruz

Located along Federal Highway MEX-140 between Xalapa and Veracruz, the interchange connects the highway with the port boulevard and provides a more direct route to the Port of Veracruz. The infrastructure will also link the port with two strategic highway corridors: Corridor 5, which connects Veracruz with Monterrey and includes a branch toward Matamoros, and Corridor 13, which links Acapulco with Veracruz. These connections are expected to facilitate the movement of merchandise between the Gulf Coast, central Mexico, northern industrial regions, and the US border.

The road handles average daily traffic of about 34,000 vehicles, including passenger cars and heavy freight units. The elevated structure will separate long-distance traffic from local circulation, reducing congestion at one of the main intersections serving the port and nearby industrial areas.

MBN previously reported that the Veracruz access interchange was part of a federal MX$12.5 billion program covering the construction and reconstruction of 19 bridges and highway interchanges across nine states. The project was initially described as an 872m elevated access structure capable of reducing travel times by up to 25 minutes.

At the end of 2025, the project remained among 11 bridges and road interchanges under construction by SICT, alongside the Alameda Oriente bridges in the State of Mexico, the Arco Norte and Arco Sur projects in Colima, and the Glorieta de las Mujeres Libres in Baja California Sur.

Construction progress accelerated during the first half of 2026. SICT reported the interchange at approximately 50% completion in January, while an inspection conducted by President Claudia Sheinbaum and Veracruz Governor Rocío Nahle in June placed progress at 72.3%. At that stage, crews were carrying out beam installation, concrete pouring, and complementary works. (Veracruz)

Veracruz Strengthens Port Connectivity

The interchange forms part of broader efforts to improve infrastructure surrounding the Port of Veracruz, where cargo growth and terminal expansion have increased pressure on road and railway connections.

The port serves containerized cargo, vehicles, agricultural products, steel, project cargo, and other commodities moving between Mexico and international markets. Its location on the Gulf of Mexico also gives it a strategic role in trade with the United States, Europe, South America, and the Caribbean. Improving road access is therefore critical not only for local mobility but also for reducing logistics bottlenecks affecting trucking companies, manufacturers, importers, and exporters.

SICT says the interchange will provide safer and more continuous traffic flows for cargo and passenger vehicles while supporting the economic development of the Veracruz metropolitan area.