We start with the beach for a week, then the newly repaved roads.
It is amazing that in Mexico they are always working on the roads. The Autopistas (toll roads) are in pretty decent shape, much better than north of the border.
Arizona, although cash strapped has a great highway and freeway system. During our last visit to Tucson and Phoenix, I commented to my wife the spotless condition of the interchanges, no garbage, graffiti or overgrown anything.
Meanwhile in my old native California, the roads are full of pot holes, graffiti adorns any vacant space of concrete and garbage is found anywhere your eyeball happens to rest.
Certain not as bad as many parts of Mexico, but still the contrast between California and Arizona are worth noting.
I wonder why?
In Mexico we have passed many new overpass projects which have been and are continually updated and remodeled. Look at Morelia for example. In the 15 or so years, they have redone the periferico and continue to add and work on it. They have improved the highway to the airport, they are currently redoing the road outside of Morelia which goes to Salimanca, and spend considerable time improving roads.
Look at Patzcuaro, the periferico which was once a bumpy horrible treck around town, now sports a 6 lane boulevard with stoplights and eliminated the topes, (well most of them) that added time and reduced your shock absorbers to useless hunks of metal.
The roads are certainly not pothole free, but they are extremely decent comparing to 10 years ago , and certain states up north. I don't hold too much hope for decent freeway maintenance in the states....Seems they have better places to spend money on...
that's another story!
7 comments:
There are no topes at all on the libramiento now. Or at least I cannot think of one.
You are right about the highways. It seems they put another level of asphalt on the highway between Morelia and Pátzcuaro every other month.
Felipe, the one I was thinking of is the one at the base of the libramiento, by the glorietta. I may be wrong....
There's a gentle tope which appears, then disappears, between the two sections of the Posada Don Vasco. Lately, the hotel has put out flagmen to escort guests safely across Avenida Lázaro Cárdenas. But no tope at present.
By the way, my Award for Worst Topes goes to the back calle that runs along the north side of Tzurumutaro. They are like tank obstacles. Avoid that street, no matter how circuitous a detour you must make.
Saludos,
Don Cuevas
Tancho, that tope at the end (or start, depending on one´s perspective) of the Libramiento arrived in my mind later last night. I believe there is a tope there only if you are turning right, not left.
Don Cuevas, the Posada Don Vasco is not on the Libramiento.
That street through Tzuru is not too bad, and it´s very useful if you are in Tzuru. They renovated it a couple years back, and it was in dire need of renovation.
While you local chicos discuss the well known to you all calles, I certainly recognize the roadway with the holes in the photo (not specifically but in its similarity to many roads over here on the east coast of Mexico.
I have to think the road repair technology perhaps coupled with the original construction science, as well as the lack of regulations for huge loads crushing pavement keep the highway repair detail very busy.
I am happy to read that in your more progressive neighborhood things are getting better and look forward to some of that rubbing off in our more rural setting.
Calypso, hopefully the trickle down theory will flow to the east coast. The tire and shock absorber merchants will certainly lobby against it though.
At least on your coast you don't have sinkholes like on other east shores.....
Don Cuevas, I just remembered why topes are a problem for you and especially the macho topes in Tzurumútaro. It´s that Arkansas Low Rider you two ride around it. Go get some appropriate wheels.
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