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driving to Dallas


johs

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6 hours ago, tomgates said:

Columbia Bridge, 1 hr N of Laredo

The Colombia crossing is on the western outskirts of Laredo but surely not an hour. If one were at the departure from 85 onto Highway 2 to Colombia, it is about 35 minutes. From that same spot but on into N. Laredo and crossing at Bridge 2, it's about 25 minutes.

The kicker is of course the speed with which one can cross through US Customs out there vs. Bridge 2 and then proceed on north towards San Antonio. But if one needs to go into Laredo for some reason, it's a backtrack from out there at Colombia.

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Crossing later in the day, there was only one car ahead of us going into the US and only one ahead on the return. It is open until Midnight I think but opens at 8am in the morning.

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It's a 30+ minute drive back to Laredo for those spending the night in one of the exit 3 or 4 hotels. If you end the day in Laredo, Columbia doesn't make sense unless you spend an hour or more on Bridge 2.

If you continue to San Antonio then the Laredo bypass to I35 makes sense.

Using the new roads and heading north via AGS, Zacatecas and around western Saltillo, we can normally be in the hotel in Laredo in under 12 hours.

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1 hour ago, wanderer said:

if you are going on north of laredo and go to the colombia bridge to cross and take the toll road up to mile marker 23 on IH 35, it is 11 miles further than going thru nuevo laredo and crossing at bridge 2.

And you will find numerous good hotels without reservations on IH35 starting at the 67 mile marker.  So that is only 45 more miles after you hit IH-35 after using the Columbia crossing and Toll Rd 225.

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3 hours ago, John Shrall said:

Unless traffic is backed up in San Antonio or Austin it doesn't make sense to go 20 miles out of the way plus pay large tolls. Twenty miles takes a lot of time to make up.

That's good advice, I only use that toll road if I'm there at rush hour.. 

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We never run into much delay in San Antonio.  Coming up from Pharr we take I410 which skirts SA on the east side.  We like to stop at the Costco on the north side for gas and eats.

Austin is another matter.  Seems like it is almost always slow even during alleged non rush hour times.  

We continue to cross at Pharr and save significantly on tolls and hotels, plus there's a Costco along the way to fill up.  Last time, the run time was 10 hrs 15 minutes from the border bridge to here.  Used the new macrolibremiento which is now fully open so no more double toll or out of the way detour.  Better selection of hotels in McAllen/Pharr too.

May be going up shortly and using both the Macrolibremiento and the new west side San Luis Potosi bypass.  Those should easily shave more time off the ride.  Now, the only bad part of the entire route is that crappy bypass around Lagos de Moreno.

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10 hours ago, tomgates said:

We drive right thru Lagos. Very easy. 

Ditto here last time I went that way (because I had never done that and wanted to see the town).  Wasn't hard and you basically can't get lost....  YMMV

 

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MC,

You keep pitching the route via Pharr and looking at the Point to Point site, the tolls are 100p more that via Nuevo Laredo. You say they are "a lot less". What am I missing?

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39 minutes ago, tomgates said:

MC,

You keep pitching the route via Pharr and looking at the Point to Point site, the tolls are 100p more that via Nuevo Laredo. You say they are "a lot less". What am I missing?

Tom when I do the Point-Point it shows 706 pesos to McAllen and 1045 pesos to N. Laredo.  When I first did the McAllen route it sent me through Monterrey over to McAllen rather than thru C. Victoria. If you put in C. Victoria as an intermediate city it will send you the way that MC goes and fewer pesos.

 

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21 hours ago, tomgates said:

MC,

You keep pitching the route via Pharr and looking at the Point to Point site, the tolls are 100p more that via Nuevo Laredo. You say they are "a lot less". What am I missing?

As noted above, you are being routed incorrectly.  Going through Monterrey to get to Pharr is way out of the way..  If you want point to point directions, send me a PM with your email and I'll send it to you.

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