Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – The Amado Nervo Bridge connecting Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, and Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit, has officially opened, promising to save commuters up to 40 minutes in travel time. Completed four months ahead of schedule, the 963-million-peso project will serve nearly 479,000 residents and accommodate an estimated 73,000 vehicles daily.
The Mexican government inaugurated the new crossing this week, marking the completion of a major transportation project linking the two neighboring municipalities. The bridge is expected to improve daily commutes for residents, workers and students while making travel between the two popular tourist destinations easier for visitors.
During a presentation connected to President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo’s daily press conference, known as La Mañanera del Pueblo, Jesús Esteva Medina, head of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (SICT), confirmed that construction finished four months before the contractual deadline.
The total investment reached 963 million pesos, including 760 million pesos for the bridge itself, with the remaining funds covering right-of-way acquisition and complementary infrastructure.
Accompanied by Nayarit Governor Miguel Ángel Navarro Quintero, Esteva Medina outlined the project’s main features. The bridge extends more than 800 meters across the Ameca River and forms part of a nearly two-kilometer transportation corridor. The crossing includes three traffic lanes and a bicycle path, while the connecting road improvements provide a six-lane section.
According to the SICT, approximately 479,000 people are expected to benefit from the new infrastructure. Officials estimate that around 73,000 vehicles will use the corridor each day, helping ease pressure on existing routes and reducing travel time by approximately 40 minutes compared with the previous route.
The bridge was designed to withstand the region’s challenging weather conditions and seismic activity. Esteva Medina explained that its dimensions and elevation account for extreme rainfall scenarios, with the structure engineered to withstand conditions associated with exceptionally rare storms.
Its construction includes 20 spans measuring 40 meters each, supported by piles and piers extending more than 15 meters into the ground. The concrete structure was designed with earthquake resistance in mind, an important consideration in a region exposed to seismic activity.
Construction began in July 2025 and generated 2,790 jobs throughout the building process. Crews used 160 beams, 126 columns and more than 30,000 cubic meters of concrete to complete the project.
The inauguration was attended by Claudia Araujo Gómez, director of the SICT Center in Nayarit, and María de Jesús Padilla Romo, director of the SICT Center in Jalisco.
For people who regularly travel between Puerto Vallarta and Bahía de Banderas, the bridge represents a significant change to daily transportation. By providing a new crossing over the Ameca River and improving connections between the two states, the project is expected to shorten commutes, ease congestion and support continued growth across the greater Bay of Banderas region.
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