BajaNomad - Gonzaga to Chapala Improving!

Gonzaga to Chapala Improving!

Pacifico - 9-18-2019 at 06:01 PM

I just returned from a trip down south and went through Gonzaga to Chapala. Going south, there was a lot of work going on and had to detour off of the blacktop quite a bit. However, the good news was coming back north a week later; we only had to do a little bit of dirt near Highway 1 and the hills where they are cutting through the mountain. Once we were on the blacktop, it was smooth sailing all the way to Gonzaga! It was our fastest trip yet from Highway 1 to Rancho Grande; only 35 minutes! We were able to run on new asphalt the majority of the way!

I don't know if they have a new company doing it, but they are really making progress! Lots of work going on in several different sections... It might just get completed yet!!! If they keep it up, it will be done in 2020! (fingers crossed) :bounce:

JZ - 9-18-2019 at 06:07 PM

How many miles of dirt did you run do you think?

Pacifico - 9-18-2019 at 06:25 PM

Quote: Originally posted by JZ

How many miles of dirt did you run do you think?

hmmmm….. hard to judge off the top of my head. I would guess 8 miles or so? The dirt we did run was in great shape and nicely graded. I was surprised though, once we hit the asphalt we ran it all the way into Gonzaga! I think this changes daily depending on what they are working on. Some of the road was only paved on 1 side, but we could still run it.

David K - 9-18-2019 at 07:58 PM

Thanks Pacifico.
Did you use the new bypass or go past Coco's Corner?
Did you note any kilometer markers at the new points of interest?
Thank you.

Pacifico - 9-18-2019 at 08:48 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Thanks Pacifico.
Did you use the new bypass or go past Coco's Corner?
Did you note any kilometer markers at the new points of interest?
Thank you.

I used the new bypass...no longer have to go by Coco's. Sorry, no km markers noted. I'm sure some of the detours change day to day as they work on different sections. But, a lot more paving has been completed!

ehall - 9-19-2019 at 04:39 AM

Going to be tough to maintain with the violent flash floods they get off the mountains.

BajaRun - 9-19-2019 at 07:14 AM

The llantera at Chapala is going to lose a lot of business

David K - 9-19-2019 at 08:35 AM

Let us know when they begin replacing the 9 bridges washed out almost 1 year ago, south of Puertecitos. Also, the progress of the highway work north of Puertecitos.
Thanks.

Pacifico - 9-19-2019 at 06:35 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Let us know when they begin replacing the 9 bridges washed out almost 1 year ago, south of Puertecitos. Also, the progress of the highway work north of Puertecitos.
Thanks.

There were some improvements on that section too, David. I didn't count the number of detours, but there were less than before. That one big one that went under the bridge was no longer there...if I remember right. :?:

David K - 9-19-2019 at 06:52 PM

Thanks amigo!

SoCalAl - 9-30-2019 at 07:49 PM

Thanks for the update.. Do you know how much of the road is asphalt from Gonzaga to Highway 1?

Pacifico - 9-30-2019 at 08:25 PM

Quote: Originally posted by SoCalAl

Thanks for the update.. Do you know how much of the road is asphalt from Gonzaga to Highway 1?

My last experience (and I may have been very lucky), was that there was more pavement than dirt. It changes constantly depending what they are working on and where they route you. I'm not sure I can answer your question mileage wise. Sorry...

David K - 10-1-2019 at 07:40 AM

I was a passenger six months ago so no odometer notes, but the road was paved all the way across the Chapala Valley except for the mile beginning at Hwy. 1. I imagine they left that dirt so people on Hwy. 1 don't get the impression it is paved all the way to San Felipe, yet.

There were about 9 unpaved miles through the canyon and to Las Arrastras where the older road via Coco's Corner branches off.

New paving was ready to be applied or was and we couldn't yet drive on it from Las Arrastras north to the detour at Km. 168.5. That was about 5 miles.

Total unpaved distance today is probably between 10-15 miles of the 32-33 new highway miles from Gonzaga to Chapala... or 35 miles if via Coco's Corner.

Ron in BC - 10-6-2019 at 05:00 PM

That's good news. Last Feb. 3 newbies tagged along and we took Mex 5 just after all the damage happened. They weren't impressed with road conditions. But I had warned them pretty clearly so, tough, that's the way it worked out.

Fortunately fiberglass trailers are a bit more tolerant of the rock and roll of rough roads. But, unless I saw posts like this one start happening, I was thinking that I'd be using Mex 1 this coming Feb.

Ron

Pacifico - 10-6-2019 at 05:45 PM

I'll be on it tomorrow...I'll give an update soon!

Ron in BC - 10-6-2019 at 08:17 PM

I'll appreciate that, thanks.

Ron

Tioloco - 10-7-2019 at 12:17 AM

As of today, 1 mile of dirt from Chapala to the new asphalt, then 4.5 miles of dirt thru the mountain. Fastest trip ever for me.

David K - 10-7-2019 at 09:42 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Tioloco

As of today, 1 mile of dirt from Chapala to the new asphalt, then 4.5 miles of dirt thru the mountain. Fastest trip ever for me.

Amazing, so after the 4.5 miles you can stay on pavement all the way to Gonzaga Bay?
5.5 total unpaved miles of the ~33 miles from Chapala to Gonzaga?

Tioloco - 10-8-2019 at 04:34 AM

DavidK- Yes

Pacifico - 10-17-2019 at 07:37 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Tioloco

As of today, 1 mile of dirt from Chapala to the new asphalt, then 4.5 miles of dirt thru the mountain. Fastest trip ever for me.

Just got back from Baja. This info is spot on!

David K - 10-18-2019 at 08:28 AM

Thanks...
Some Nomads are going down in a couple of weeks and I have requested them to take kilometer post notes.

If anyone else can answer any of these, that would be great for all of us!

I would like to know the Km. marker for
*La Turquesa Canyon road (if you can tell, this may be hard).
*The Coco's access or old road (near Las Arrastras).
*The Las Arrastras bridge (where you can see down to the old ore mill circle and well, etc.).
*The detour off the pavement.
*Any other markers of note, if they are installed, like the return to pavement.

msulkers - 10-21-2019 at 03:02 PM

Sorry, David, we missed your post. We drove from Rancho Percebu to BOLA on October 19th. Experience as per Pacifico. We drove exactly 30 detours, with most of them well under a minute in length.

From Bahia San Luis Gonzaga to Laguna Chapala took 50 minutes. There are sections of the Puertocitos to BSLG section that do not have undermined shoulders marked with cones or piedras, so stay alert.

Also, most of Hwy 1 south of Laguna Chapala to Parador Punta Prieta is smooth retopping...

David K - 10-21-2019 at 03:06 PM

Thanks for wanting to help... TW and other Nomads are going in November and have a to-do list. TW has been a big contributor to the Nomad Kilometer List, anyway.

There is also the newly added kilometer markers south from L.A. Bay to add to the Nomad list... So, keep an eye out and have pen and paper for new stuff on the road in Baja!

SAN Felipe to puertosito

Louisren45 - 11-6-2019 at 08:28 AM

Do you also know the condition of the broken pavement section after SF ? This spring on our return the road was so bad we had to idle through the potholes towing our 20ft travel trailer. Are they fixing that or do they have made detours?

mjs - 11-6-2019 at 08:45 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Louisren45

Do you also know the condition of the broken pavement section after SF ? This spring on our return the road was so bad we had to idle through the potholes towing our 20ft travel trailer. Are they fixing that or do they have made detours?

Lot of work currently going on in that section. Repavement, new culverts and rework on some of the vados to take the sharp crown off. Still some detours but the road is in good shape as most of the pot hole sections have been completed.

Louisren45 - 11-7-2019 at 10:49 AM

That’s great to hear. Thank you

David K - 11-7-2019 at 10:55 AM

TW (TMW) and other Nomads are south of San Felipe now and promised to post a detailed road report when they are back. I have been getting Spot pings from TW the past two days (San Felipe South Campos, Rancho Grande Gonzaga Bay, Coco's Corner, L.A. Bay).

Ron in BC - 11-7-2019 at 04:48 PM

Great, glad that's happening.

Going down this year in Feb. , with a trailer, was the worse it's ever been. I was happy to hear that the work pace had picked up.

Now all that has to happen is no hurricane or torrential rain hits before the end of January.

Keep those road reports coming, they're appreciated.

Ron

basautter - 11-8-2019 at 05:02 AM

I drove the section between San Felipe and Gonzaga bay last week. A lot of work has been complete with more in process. There are a lot of bypasses around bridges that are in work, but most are short. Overall, construction added about 45 minutes each way. Not too bad!

ehall - 11-8-2019 at 07:20 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Quote: Originally posted by Tioloco

As of today, 1 mile of dirt from Chapala to the new asphalt, then 4.5 miles of dirt thru the mountain. Fastest trip ever for me.

Amazing, so after the 4.5 miles you can stay on pavement all the way to Gonzaga Bay?
5.5 total unpaved miles of the ~33 miles from Chapala to Gonzaga?

Where you going? Me, Gary, Danny and Andy are doing a trip in December

David K - 11-8-2019 at 08:52 AM

Quote: Originally posted by ehall

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Quote: Originally posted by Tioloco

As of today, 1 mile of dirt from Chapala to the new asphalt, then 4.5 miles of dirt thru the mountain. Fastest trip ever for me.

Amazing, so after the 4.5 miles you can stay on pavement all the way to Gonzaga Bay?
5.5 total unpaved miles of the ~33 miles from Chapala to Gonzaga?

Where you going? Me, Gary, Danny and Andy are doing a trip in December

Ed, are you asking me a question? No trips for me planned. The two 2019 trips with TV show crews might just last me a lifetime... they were so much fun to be a part of!