In the accumulated figures for January-August 2024, the port of Laredo once again positioned itself as the most important point of trade in the United States, contributing 6.7% of the total foreign trade activity of our northern neighbor. Trade with Mexico accumulated just over 225 billion dollars (mdd) , which is 5.4% higher than the same cycle in 2023.
However, this dynamic is being affected by a series of traffic jams on the Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo highway, where the concessionaire, Coconal , is carrying out maintenance work at the height of Cuesta de Mamulique , which has generated logistical problems both in the north and south directions.
During a recent visit to Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey by T21, various transporters confirmed that a journey that could take a maximum of four hours has now taken up to nine hours , which affects the entire foreign trade community.
In the area of the Laredo border port (Nuevo Laredo-Colombia) an average of 16,000 to 18,000 crossings are carried out daily in both directions , where the majority of this operation is carried out precisely through this highway or by the free route.
Taking as a starting point the area of Escobedo, Nuevo León, to the highway to the airport in Nuevo Laredo, the route considers a distance of 200 kilometers on the highway , while on the free road it is a distance of 213 kilometers.
The concern for the transport and foreign trade community is that sometimes, although the toll-free route may be an opportunity, for some of their clients the security protocols do not allow them to take this route.
In addition to the above, on the toll-free route in the municipality of Ciénega de Flores , restrictions are being applied to the circulation of heavy traffic at certain times, which causes some vehicles to stop on the side of the road, thereby generating greater traffic complications.
Demetrio Tamez, vice president of the northeast region of the National Chamber of Cargo Transportation (Canacar) , said that various meetings have been held with authorities involved in matters of security and traffic, with the aim of finding alternatives to the problem. faced with the work awarded to the company Coconal.
Through his LinkedIn account , Juan Carlos Varela, director of the Transportation Division of Grupo Palos Garza , explained that they recently held meetings with Rosa María Alvarado, president of the Association of Customs Agents of Nuevo Laredo (AAANLD) , and various organizations in that city, where the issue of the problem of the route to Monterrey was addressed , which turns out to be a crucial issue that impacts both the sphere of security of the transportation of goods and the efficiency of commercial logistics.
“It is striking that this problem regarding one of the most important trade routes in Mexico is not being addressed, and that no authority is focusing on finding a solution,” a regional transport entrepreneur told T21.
In its X account, the highway concessionaire reports that on the km. 41+600 to 46+000 section of the Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo highway, a single lane is maintained in both directions due to maintenance activities.
