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Crossing at Pharr International Bridge


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So easy. Go across the bridge & keep going straight - (Your GPS will try to direct you right to Reynosa.) After a few miles you will find an interchange - underconstruction - where you will make a 270 deg turn on to the highway to Cuidad Victoria. Little traffic - easy passing. Some great scenery. . An easy day to San L Potosi.

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That crossing opens at 6AM but the IMS guy at the office on the Mexican side sometimes sleeps in. Once had to wait until 7:30 for him to show up for work!!

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Thanks everyone for your suggestions. We crossed at Pharr on Thursday October 2, 2014 at 7;30am.

A little confused at the C. Victoria corta, the # is actually 126, but our TOMTOM gps knew the correct way. Also disappointed in the lack of services on this route. Don't let your fuel get too low. Good savings on cuota costs compared to Laredo route.

Stopped by 11 Federalis and Army check points but they always waved us right through. Lots of patrols all the way down

Spent the night in our favorite hotel in SLPotosi, the Quinta Imperial.

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There's definitely a lack of services between the border and Ciudad Victoria, hence the recommendation that you cross with a full tank and stop at that big Pemex on the first part of the Ciudad Victoria bypass. The second recommended stop is north of San Luis Potosi, the big Pemex with the old railway cars.

We find that two gas stops are all that is required in either direction if you start out with a full tank. We do not stop for anything in Tamps except for that gas stop on the CV bypass.

This trip we are going to try the alternative of driving straight through San Luis Potosi. I'll report on that in my usual trip report after we arrive in Texas.

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Not every car has the range that your car has. We stop at every half tank on our gauge.....our Honda Fit only holds 11 US gallons...

so it takes three stops....the last one being just before the us border....but due to the price difference on US vs Mx fuel we may adjust that to just over the us border so that we have a full tank in the am for our early departure.

We appreciate your reports and will be using the shortcut after the airport to see how much time and tolls we will save.

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The CRV carries about 15 gallons but it also doesn't get as good gas mileage as the Fit. We find that we are down to 1/4 tank at each of the gas stops.

The shortcut after the airport is now the south periferico. You have the option of staying on it now to the toll road which could be a little faster but then you'll have to pay the first toll which I think is around 55 pesos. Otherwise, use the libre to Zapotlanejo and then the quick jog over to the toll road that puts you on it after the first toll booth.

Our new experiment for this trip will be to bypass both the south and east San Luis Potosi toll roads and drive directly through town on the 80 and 57 expressways, rejoining 57 at the north end of the east bypass. I'll report on that as soon as we reach Texas. It is supposed to save some significant distance plus $15 or so in tolls.

The south SLP bypass is a pretty poor road plus you have that mordida trap at the east end of it. Definitely watch out for that one and be well backed down before you hit the bridge over the railroad tracks just west of the industrial park.

I'm hoping that our custom of driving Mexico on Sundays will make the reported first part of that alternative SLP route go easier than it might during a work day.

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The CRV carries about 15 gallons but it also doesn't get as good gas mileage as the Fit. We find that we are down to 1/4 tank at each of the gas stops.

The shortcut after the airport is now the south periferico. You have the option of staying on it now to the toll road which could be a little faster but then you'll have to pay the first toll which I think is around 55 pesos. Otherwise, use the libre to Zapotlanejo and then the quick jog over to the toll road that puts you on it after the first toll booth.

Our new experiment for this trip will be to bypass both the south and east San Luis Potosi toll roads and drive directly through town on the 80 and 57 expressways, rejoining 57 at the north end of the east bypass. I'll report on that as soon as we reach Texas. It is supposed to save some significant distance plus $15 or so in tolls.

The south SLP bypass is a pretty poor road plus you have that mordida trap at the east end of it. Definitely watch out for that one and be well backed down before you hit the bridge over the railroad tracks just west of the industrial park.

I'm hoping that our custom of driving Mexico on Sundays will make the reported first part of that alternative SLP route go easier than it might during a work day.

80 is a BIG mistake unless you like curvy narrow truck infested roads. Not pleasant.

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We're not talking about taking 80 all the way from Lagos. The new 80D is much better. However, there have been a number of reports that going straight on at the end of 80D at Villa Arriaga actually saves distance and time. We'll be driving it on Sunday as an experiment to see if this is true. If not, we'll go back to using the south cuota bypass (a pretty poor road with lots of trucks too) to the east bypass, a very good road, emerging on the north side of town.

We'll keep detailed time records and I'll report back to you all on it shortly after we arrive in Texas.

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  • 2 years later...
On ‎2014‎-‎10‎-‎01 at 8:45 AM, Mainecoons said:

Either that or San Fernando. Very easy and very visible. Go up on the overpass and take the cloverleaf ramp that ends up with you going south.

We hit the crossing around 7AM and have no problem making it to Ajijic in daylight.

Do you have detailed info about the right road to take to Lake Chapala.??

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On ‎2014‎-‎10‎-‎01 at 8:36 AM, windstar said:

So easy. Go across the bridge & keep going straight - (Your GPS will try to direct you right to Reynosa.) After a few miles you will find an interchange - underconstruction - where you will make a 270 deg turn on to the highway to Cuidad Victoria. Little traffic - easy passing. Some great scenery. . An easy day to San L Potosi.

Can you explain that better? now this is 2016 is going that way still under construction?

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On ‎2014‎-‎09‎-‎30 at 11:31 PM, lumieretoo said:

Plan to cross into MeMy email address is kxico at Pharr soon. Using Mainecoons' directions

Comments please from recent crossings. Thanks.

I was looking for manicoos directions from pharr to lake Chapala --lakeside but could not find them .Do you know where they are??

 

On ‎2016‎-‎11‎-‎03 at 8:44 AM, moderator-2 said:

Ken, PM me with your email address and I'll send you the latest detailed route description

my email address is kkbigbeaver@hotmail.com Thank you so much/

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On ‎2014‎-‎10‎-‎01 at 8:36 AM, windstar said:

So easy. Go across the bridge & keep going straight - (Your GPS will try to direct you right to Reynosa.) After a few miles you will find an interchange - underconstruction - where you will make a 270 deg turn on to the highway to Cuidad Victoria. Little traffic - easy passing. Some great scenery. . An easy day to San L Potosi.

If crossing at Pharr   is there shopping right across the border.We are planning on crossing the day before we cross to head to lake side to get all paper work out of the way--INM--TIP

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can you tell me where you posted the directions from pharr to lake side?? also is there shops just over the border.I mentioned earlier that we want to cross the day before we actually cross to go to lake side to take care of inm and tip.that way we  can be on our way earlier in morning.

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On ‎2016‎-‎11‎-‎04 at 9:45 AM, Mainecoons said:

No need to go anywhere near Reynosa.  Very predatory cops there.  Avoid that crossing.

I posted Pharr directions on the other thread.

Pharr directions on Other Thread ??which thread??

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