BajaNomad

Road condition between La Paz and Loreto

superbusydad - 7-6-2014 at 10:36 AM

I read the 5/25 report on the road from La Paz and Loreto, and said there was a great deal of construction. What is the current update and how long should I plan if I drive straight through? I am leaving 7/26. thanks

DaliDali - 7-6-2014 at 12:36 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by superbusydad
I read the 5/25 report on the road from La Paz and Loreto, and said there was a great deal of construction. What is the current update and how long should I plan if I drive straight through? I am leaving 7/26. thanks


As of July 3rd 2014, MX 1 is tore up in one spot east of Insurgentes.....down from the 2 spots before.

The highway detours off the main road onto a dirt path on the south side.
It runs for a few miles before rejoining the pavement.

Then it's clear sailing eastbound down the hill, past the Agua Verde turnoff and on down (now northbound) to the turn off for the resort complex at Ensenada Blanca

Once north of Ensenada Blanca, there are a few places that are detoured off the pavement onto dirt side roads.

At a point known as the "mirador" which is after (north of) Puerto Escondido and after (north of) Juncalito, work is ongoing that involves dumping tons of rocks down on to the highway from the bluff above.
Workers and machinery need time to clear the road of the rocks.
So traffic in each direction comes to a full stop at that time.
Wait times can vary and my wait was about 30-40 minutes.

After one gets north of the mirador and closer to Loreto, there are a few places that have detours off the pavement.

Much of the work "might" be finished by your travel date. Except for the mirador....it looks like a long term project.

With clear sailing from Loreto to La Paz and no delays, about 4 hours driving time is about normal.
If time is of a big concern on arrival time to either Loreto or La Paz, you might add 2 hours to add plenty of leeway.

I have no info from La Paz, north to Constitution.

danaeb - 7-6-2014 at 12:48 PM

I went from Centenario to Conquista last week. The highway is torn up from the Pemex to about 3-4 miles north. It's not too bad; there's not much traffic there, and they have dirt bypass lanes.

It will be great when the 4-lane extends to Constitucion.

[Edited on 7-6-2014 by danaeb]

Mula - 7-6-2014 at 01:02 PM

It will probably all change before the 26th of July, so too early to really tell what the road conditions and timings might be.

superbusydad - 7-6-2014 at 03:42 PM

So if I get off at 9 am from La Paz, what is a conservative time table to get to Loreto? Thanks for your GREAT insight!

Mula - 7-6-2014 at 04:20 PM

5 hours - with 3 kids.

tiotomasbcs - 7-7-2014 at 03:39 PM

Howz the road construction south of CC? It was pretty bad last April. Traveling Sundays works well except La Mirador--they were working. Thanks. Tio

Whale-ista - 7-7-2014 at 04:42 PM

When I travelled it last month (Cd.C to LP) the worst part was entering La Paz.

They are doing "improvements" and diverting traffic just as you enter the outskirts of town.

Rest of hwy was in good shape for most part.
Quote:
Originally posted by tiotomasbcs
Howz the road construction south of CC? It was pretty bad last April. Traveling Sundays works well except La Mirador--they were working. Thanks. Tio

BajaBlanca - 7-7-2014 at 07:53 PM

We just did la paz loreto today. We left at 4 and arrived here at 8:00.


Road conditions were excellent as all the workers were gone at this time and it was smooth sailing.

Here was the problem! Wherever they have added new asphalt ( and there are a ton of spots) the rise is so high that it creates a hazard. No warning. Huge bump up. No bueno for the new bearings we just put on the truck.

Les does not know the meaning of slow down, he races with the devil himself on the roads so we jumped high aplenty ))):

bajabuddha - 7-7-2014 at 11:16 PM

SBD, please don't take this negatively, but I've been reading your posts and inquiries; I truly hope one day you and all your kids can slow down and see the real Baja, not the Mexican DysneyWorld version. Whatever you do, please be careful on the road... it's not built for hurry-ups, and there's lots of crosses to prove it.
Buen viaje, and rip some lips out there!~

David K - 7-7-2014 at 11:26 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajabuddha
SBD, please don't take this negatively, but I've been reading your posts and inquiries; I truly hope one day you and all your kids can slow down and see the real Baja, not the Mexican DysneyWorld version. Whatever you do, please be careful on the road... it's not built for hurry-ups, and there's lots of crosses to prove it.
Buen viaje, and rip some lips out there!~


Yup!

A pretty safe figure to use is 50 mph average on Hwy. 1. So, La Paz to Loreto is 223 miles, and round up to 5 hours.

Ciudad Constitucion has many signals, and make sure you stop fully at them.

superbusydad - 7-17-2014 at 07:40 AM

Latest update on the road conditions between La Paz to Loreto????

rhintransit - 7-17-2014 at 08:27 AM

it's Mexico, nothing much has changed in eleven days.

AguaDulce - 7-17-2014 at 08:40 AM

Drove yesterday from Insugentes to Loreto. Just south of town they are dynamite and bulldozing the mountain. Be ready to wait for over an hour as I did. Also I waited last month (June)for 50 minutes. I do not think they work on Sunday. I planned on missing my Alaska Air flight , but luckily it arrived late. I had to leave my baggage in airport as they would not check it in . Just take your time and relax. Nothing is certain on Baja roads.