Bridge Collapse Isolates Nayarit Riviera

What is believed to have been "a month’s worth" of tropical rain during Mexico’s rainy season fell in one day — Monday — in the high mountains above Puerto Vallarta, resulting in the collapse, at 2:30 a.m., of a 180-foot long section of the ‘old’ or northbound bridge over the Rio Ameca just to the northwest of Puerto Vallarta and the Puerto Vallarta Airport. As a result, the two-lane northbound road between Puerto Vallarta and the ‘Nayarit Riviera’ — which includes Paradise Marina, Nuevo Vallarta Marina and the Nayarit Riviera Marina in La Cruz — was severed.

This is a major problem for the entire region and the big city of Puerto Vallarta as this road/bridge was the Highway 200 lifeline for tens of thousands of people who live on one side of the bridge and work on the other. Highway 200 is also the main route for all goods and supplies from Guadalajara and the state capital of Tepic and Puerto Vallarta. Because of the collapse, the southbound bridge was also temporarily closed so it could be checked. As of today, the former southbound-only bridge is being used for two-way light vehicle traffic. It’s as though the lower deck of the Bay Bridge collapsed, and all traffic in and out of the City now has to share the upper level. It’s also being reported that two other much smaller bridges for much smaller roads upstream the Rio Ameca also collapsed.

A helicopter ‘air bridge’ has been established for medical emergencies, and Vallarta Adventures is running an hourly shuttle service between Paradise Marina and Marina Vallarta, and there is other ‘ferry’ service between Marina Vallarta and La Cruz Marina. But none of these measures even begin to affect what is and will be a major problem for some time.

Something is going to have to be done very quickly. Fortunately, Mexico has a history of responding very quickly to roads being completely destroyed by hurricanes. But the rainy season doesn’t stop until the beginning of the cruising season, which is in late October, so it’s not going to be easy. Nonetheless, we’re confident they’ll have something up and running by then.