Traveling the new Lázaro Cárdenas - Nueva Italia Highway
Posted by Carol

In February, 2001 we took a trip from Zihuatanejo on the coast of Mexico along the new Lázaro Cárdenas - Nueva Italia highway that has been under construction for quite some time and that promises to cut many hours and curves off the route between these two points, heading for the Patzcuaro area of Michoacan.

The turnoff onto the new route from Highway 200 is, coming from the south, just past Joluta and the turnoff to the small town of Feliciano. A large interchange has been constructed and toll booths, not yet in operation, were in place and served to barricade the roadway. We drove through the only point of access where a guard advised us that although traffic was being allowed through, the road was still under construction and contained several detours and fords, and that we were thus to be careful and travel at our own risk.

The first few kilometers of the road, which runs north through an area of previously traversed only by dirt tracks in the hills toward the Rio Balsas, were paved and wide. Within 15 minutes of travel, we began hitting the detours around rock outcroppings that obstructed the highway and that hadn't yet been blasted, and around and under partially-finished bridges, taking us through small fords (it was the dry season so not much water was running) and being guided occasionally by crudely handwritten signs pointing to Uruapan. Heavy machinery and men were working along most of this stretch. There were areas where we'd hit a short piece of paved and finished highway, only to be diverted a few hundred meters on, back onto the dirt and gravel side road to skirt yet another obstacle.

We were driving a Chevy Blazer, so we had a high carriage and the option of using 4-wheel drive, but there were several small cars on the route, none of which was having any problem with it that we could see - and a friend of ours had already gone all the way through to Patzcuaro on the road when it was even less constructed in a battered-up little Volkswagen. It took about an hour to drive through the dirt and gravel section before joining the old highway at Infiernillo Dam - an enormous wall of stone and concrete that towers over the old road near the town of Pitiriera.

Just before reaching the dam the road parallels the banks of the Rio Balsas and we passed the site of what will be one of the largest bridges on this route. In this area some parts of the new highway were already accessible, but we found it easier just to stick to the old road at this point, instead of trying to find access on and off the short portions of the new highway that were driveable. The old road - paved but narrow - takes the traveler along winding arms of the lake created by the dam and through some pretty desolate-looking hills, joining up with the regular Lázaro-Uruapan highway at about Km 212 - 130 kms. from Uruapan.

After joining the main Lázaro highway, we passed through Las Cañas and were on the lookout for what was, at that time, and unmarked turnoff at Km. 197 or thereabouts, that took us back on to the mostly-completed portion of the new Nueva Italia route. From here to the junction with the Uruapan-Morelia toll road, we passed a couple more major bridges that were still under construction (the Rio Grande and El Marquez bridges), still necessitating short detours, but otherwise the highway was pretty well done.

By now we were out of the lower hills and up into the higher plateaus and valleys rich with citrus and mango orchards, moving into the cooler and more mountainous area near Patzcuaro, where vegetation then turned from lush valley agriculture to cane, cactus and brilliant yellow Lluvia de Oro trees and then to pine forests and wildflowers. In all, our trip from all the way from Zihuatanejo through to Patzcuaro on this new and yet unfinished route took us a total of slightly over 5 hours... a significant savings in time over the old route that usually was closer to an 8 hour trip, and once the highway is really finished and all the bridges done, we imagine we can do it in a good deal less time and a lot more comfort.

Note: During the summer (rainy season) months of 2001, the new Lázaro-Nueva Italia route was reportedly closed to traffic and may still be as of this time (Sept. 2001). Since many of the bridges are still not completed, the fords in heavy rains probably become impassable. If you plan to try this route while there are still heavy rains in the hills, make thorough enquiries before setting out - otherwise you could be turned back and end up having a lot longer trip than even the old route offered!