To Laredo via 54

We want to go to Laredo on 54. Is it better/faster to go through Aguascalientes? How is the road between Zapopan & Zacatecas?

Curvy, up-and down, but beautiful, till you get through the barranca.
Turtles love it....rabbits hate it.

This subject was discussed on TOB a couple of days ago....

Better/Faster are subjective words. 54 will be less tolls if that is your desire, but it will not be faster. Better will be up for you to define/determine.

see:  http://www.chapala.com/wwwboard/webboard.html Go to Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara and skip down quite a ways to the Hwy 54 to Laredo posting.

Thanks! I checked TOB but I guess I didn't go far enough.

RickS wrote:This subject was discussed on TOB a couple of days ago....

Better/Faster are subjective words. 54 will be less tolls if that is your desire, but it will not be faster. Better will be up for you to define/determine.

see:  http://www.chapala.com/wwwboard/webboard.html  Go to Ajijic/Chapala/Guadalajara and skip down quite a ways to the Hwy 54 to Laredo posting.

In my opinion its about one hour faster going the Zacatecas route and it is 100 kilometers shorter. You also avoid the police hassle around SLP.

I too often take the Aguascaliente/Zacatecas route but I don't/won't go out 54 from Guadalajara but rather take the 80 cuota up towards Lagos de Moreno. Short of getting there I go left to Aguascaliente, skirting it, and up to Zacatecas, skirting it, and THEN pick up 54 to the Saltillo area. THAT part of 54 is newer/straight and without tolls (until just outside of and skirting Saltillo). Once there, one picks up cuota 40 over "to" Monterrey and then up to Laredo.

However, if one isn't dead set on going to the Laredo crossing, they can leave 54 NW of Saltillo and take 57 libre up towards/thru Monclova exiting at Piedras Negras/Eagle Pass Tx. The exit there is very low key with hardly anyone ever in line (at the km26 Aduana/TIP location). The border crossing into Eagle Pass Tx is also much quicker than Laredo (but maybe not as quick as the Colombia crossing close to Laredo).

Last time up this route I took Hwy. 1 north out of Monterrey instead of Hwy. 85.  There are only a couple of small towns along that road so it is quite quick and "T"'s onto Hwy. 2 about 100 mtrs. west of the entrance into the Columbia crossing.  The road is typical 2 lane Mexican road with no shoulders but very light traffic.  I was hauling a 10 ton tri-axle and had no difficulty at all.  I would say the scenery is better (and different) than the boring stretch of 85 through to the border.  There are no tolls or checkpoints on that road.

RickS wrote:However, if one isn't dead set on going to the Laredo crossing, they can leave 54 NW of Saltillo and take 57 libre up towards/thru Monclova exiting at Piedras Negras/Eagle Pass Tx. The exit there is very low key with hardly anyone ever in line (at the km26 Aduana/TIP location). The border crossing into Eagle Pass Tx is also much quicker than Laredo (but maybe not as quick as the Colombia crossing close to Laredo).

This is the only way we cross into Texas anymore.  When you leave Saltillo you can let 'er rip!  I set my 4-cyl Toyota Camry's cruise on 100mph and fly!  The roads are great and traffic minimal.  A great little stop as you enter Sabinas is a super restaurant (La Estaca) on the left side of the highway (heading north) at a traffic light (before you get into town).  Great food....as you will probably find most everyone in town will be parked there!

Ezzie wrote:Last time up this route I took Hwy. 1 north out of Monterrey instead of Hwy. 85.  There are only a couple of small towns along that road so it is quite quick and "T"'s onto Hwy. 2 about 100 mtrs. west of the entrance into the Columbia crossing.  The road is typical 2 lane Mexican road with no shoulders but very light traffic.  I was hauling a 10 ton tri-axle and had no difficulty at all.  I would say the scenery is better (and different) than the boring stretch of 85 through to the border.  There are no tolls or checkpoints on that road.

Ezzie, not at all to refute your Post, but in the past a person, whose advice I deem worth listening to (a professional guy who works on the US border but is married to a Mexican lady and they and their children live in Nuevo Laredo), suggested that that route 1 was right through cartel 'plaza' country. He recommended that one keep on 85 cuota and not venture out in that area.

On two occasions in the last 3 years, while driving up/down 85 into Nuevo Laredo, I observed heavy helicopter presence to the west of 85... out in that general area. I have just decided to stay on 85 for my traveling (although I used to venture off the cuotas onto the libre roads at lot in my travels).  YMMV