Highway Development in Sonora

El Saric to Sasabe Highway ConstructionAfter decades of promises for new highways and other infrastructure improvements, the Sonoran government is starting to lay out the cash. It may be nice for us driving humans, but this means less remote and wild country in Sonora.

I suspect that Sonora's current governor Bours has more incentive to follow through than some. His father has made his fortune in concrete, which is commonly used in road projects in Sonora. Even large portions of Route 2 near Altar and Caborca have been constructed from concrete, which is odd considering how much more expensive it is than asphalt. Also the governor's brother, Ricardo Bours Castelo, formed the Sonora Strategic Projects Operator Impulsor, together with other investors in 2005, to carry out the construction and related tourism projects, including the coastal highway described below.

The road between Saric, in the upper Rio Altar valley, and Sasabe, is being improved and paved. The worst part just above Saric is completed as well as the stretch South from Sasabe for several kilometers. It appears from the way the intersection to Altar has been constructed that people are being encouraged to use this route instead of the infamous Altar/Sasabe "highway". Which brings up the question -- why wasn't this stretch paved instead? It is used vastly more than the Saric route, is much shorter, as well as being flatter and easier to pave. Local politics are likely at play between landowner, drug and migrant smugglers, and politicians. There is still a quasi-legal toll on the Altar/Sasabe highway just North of Altar.

Some paving work is also happening in the Rio Santa Cruz watershed to the southeast of Nogales. I expect the idea is to connect Nogales and Route 15 with Route 2 west of Cananea.

Coastal Highway

Possibly the biggest current threat in Sonora is a proposed 4 lane highway that would hug the coast of much of Sonora. It's proposed to run from El Gulfo de Santa Clara to Guaymas (375 miles). It is in the early phases, but apparently they've actually completed a lot of work at the north end. Projects like this in Mexico are notorious for taking a long time and having inconsistent funding. Sonora is, however, already spending money attempting to bring in tourism from the US to support the Sonoran economy. This project is seen as the spearhead of a development and tourist boom for this vast and remote coastline. The idea is to bring tourism down from the US. Mexico is banking on this project as one of the biggest potential profit sources in the country in the near future.

The area of the proposed highway is amazingly untouched, remote, and uninhabited. And it is an absolutely gorgeous Sonoran Desert! The coastline cuts mostly through the Central Gulf Coast and Lower Colorado River Valley subdivisions of the Sonoran Desert. Paved roads reach the ocean in only a handfull of locations along this 400 mile stretch of beach.

Update: I have heard second-hand that the portion of roadway from Puerto Libertad South will follow existing roadways that are somewhat inland. This is great news and hopefully will not change.

7-9-05 AZ Daily Star - Seris and Coastal Highway -- 6-20-06 Tucson Citizen - Coastal Highway