Drive to border. Any Changes here to Aguascalientes?

[southland]

Just wanted to know if the exit past the airport will still get me easily to 80 to Zapotlanejo, and if signs will be clear to Lagos de Mareno.

Then to Aguas, to Zaca, to Saltillo, to Monclova, to Piedras Negras.

Any updates, suggestions?

Thanks.

[RickS]

'Yes' on the exit past the airport getting you to 80. Once on 80 you will travel quite a ways (of course) towards Lagos de Moreno. BUT prior to there, and in the vicinity of San Juan de los Lagos, you will see signage for an exit on a 2-lane cuota to Zacatecas/Aguascaliente. That will take you up cuota 45D and on to Aguas. Since you didn't ask, I assume you know how to continue thru Aguas on to (the outskirts of) Zacatecas and at Morelos taking highway 54 north to Saltillo etc etc etc.

I traveled that route a couple of months ago and found 'nothing to update'.

 

 

 

[conejorapido]

I traveled the route 10 days ago and, like Rick S., nothing to update.

[southland]

Thanks.

I do have a couple comments.

Siglo xxi going around the east side of Aguas is a pain, and slow, half-rough road, busy even at 6 am, and the worst, no stoplights are coordinated so only one green light in twenty-five red light semaphores.

The second comment is concerning the westside fairly new road skirting Saltillo to the west (the 54 shows a turn-off onto 40D signed Monterrey. If headed for Monclova and Piedras Negras, take this 40D. It's great and avoids Saltillo altogether.

However, GASOLINE becomes a problem. The road from Zaca up to the 40D turnoff is a long haul, and then the road to Monclova is almost absent of Pemex. So I asked the man at the tollbooth should I continue on east to Ramos Arizpe to get gas and then double back on 57 to Monclova, or is there a Pemex on the road to Monclova near enough. He mistakenly said it's 20 km either way to a Pemex, so I took the chance to just turn off on 57 to Monclova rather than backtrack east. It was not 20 km. It was 64 km and even that Pemex was almost not functioning, only had one pump working and offered only Premium.

So beware if you have a small gas tank (18 gallons @ 18 mpg). Carry a two gallon spare gas jug, or watch very carefully at the north end of the Zaca loop as you now are bound north for Saltillo. Look around for a Pemex and ask if another Pemex exists in the next 50 miles north. It probably does not. It's a terrific straight shot from Zaca up to the eastside of Saltillo 40D turn-off to 57, but no Pemex stations for 300 miles, mas o menos. I had to use my extra 2 gallon jug to cover that 64 km stretch from the tollbooth to the Pemex on 57 north, and I would not guarantee it is always open or has gasoline.

Last of all, a gratuitous comment about Pemex and their gas station location strategies. When I got to Monclova, a Pemex station was situated every .8 miles for six miles. Seven Pemex stations in seven miles. Pemex has been a govt controlled company, and Mexico will not put a Pemex station for 300 miles of a major highway??? And then won't put another reliable Pemex station until reaching Monclova, another ~100 miles~. That is not serving the motorist, in fact, doing the opposite, leaving many stranded and endangered.

 

 

[southland]

Correction: I wrote, "It's a terrific straight shot from Zaca up to the eastside of Saltillo 40D turn-off to 57, but no Pemex stations for 300 miles, mas o menos."      That should read: "...Zaca up to the westside of Saltillo 40D turn-off..."

[RickS]

Some thoughts about this route.... I use it 'frequently'.

With respect to Pemex stations along the route: you are spot-on about watching your gas tank taking this route, but from Zacatecas (Morelos) up 54 there are a couple of Pemex stations in that 200 miles, until one gets to the SW side of Saltillo. There, where highway 57 intersects 54 SW of Satillo, there is 'one last' Pemex which is where I usually gas up (when heading to Monclova).

On the 135 mile stretch from there to Monclova there did not used to be ANY Pemex stations. The one out at "km64" is fairly new and I agree that it is poorly run.... one time I passed by and it wasn't even open that day and I was glad I didn't rely on getting gas there. When I first started using that route years ago, I would only see maybe 10 vehicles the entire 100 miles! Since then, 'tho, others have 'found' the route and I typically see that many vehicles every few miles.

 

[chartiec]

Take the middle loop road aroung Aguas

 

[tomgates]

We don't do that route and just do the Lagos, etc traditional route. 

[southland]

Rick S,

You are absolutely right about gasoline only becoming a trouble if one doesn't gas up at several spots on the way north from Zaca to Saltillo. On my way back last week, I was a little anxious about making it from Monclova to Zaca on one tank. I would not have made it, but then I saw the sign for Concepcion del Oro was only 93 km. So I proceeded south and easily made Monclova to Concepcion. The same strategy would work going north, stopping in Concepcion. I did not eyeball that Pemex you are talking about at the 57 and 54 exchange. I assume you are talking about the old 57 well before the toll booths, that angles up to the main 57 to Monclova.

By the way, the toll booth operators are highly aware of the lack of Pemex stations. On my way up, the operator offered to sell me gasoline out of his supply he keeps. On the way down, already past the point of no return, the nice worried and concerned lady said if you are low you have to go to Saltillo. 

I will try the inner ring if I can ever find it in Aguas. On the way down I said to hell with things, and just went through the city and stayed in the middle lane so I would not miss any signs to left or right that said Mexico. I know to follow the signs to Mexico (Mexico City) when I am in Aguas. I only had one close call where I had to force my way into traffic lanes on the right side where a sign at a corner stoplight is down from the crossbeams and over to the right side and hard to see. I seem to remember that sign from an earlier trip so I was alert for it instead of having to backtrack a few miles after missing it. The traffic let me in. I think Aguas people know the intersections are not clearly marked for key turns, but signage is improving in Mexico, but still nowhere where it needs to get to.

Leaving Eagle Pass on the 24 hour bridge I was somewhat searched but they let me go. I found getting out of PN a guess by golly method and when I got to Allende at 4:45 AM the place was deserted so I just barreled on through at a moderate to slow speed.

A decent inexpensive hotel in Eagle Pass is the Knight's Inn and it's run by an Indian or Pakistani family who are nice people. It runs around $46 and is clean, with desk and wifi. It's fairly central. Adios. One of these days I'll figure out all the tricks and traps of driving in Mexico to the States. Signage is my main complaint because often traffic is zooming along and signs are usually where the turn actually is giving not warning.

By the way, I screwed up on the 80D Airport Periferico Exit ramp. Talk about a cluster of options and everybody exiting at 60 to 70 mph and it's a short ramp and you have to make a quick decision again. I saw a sign that looked like a paper clip and took that one and wound up after a couple miles of unease seeing a sign that said Guad versus Tonala and knew I had screwed myself again, just when I was ready for that smooth last 15 miles into Chapala. So I found my bearings in Guad, found a sign to Chapala, and hooked around and got back to Chapala wasting 20 miles.

So, anyone, can you give sure instructions about how to exit that 80D ramp that says Airport Periferico and down that ramp do you bear left, center, or right? Gracias.

[southland]

On second thought, I also want to complain about why that 80D ramp was engineered so that people at high speed are confronted with three options coming down a very short ramp, and cars knowing where they are going are crowding the options.

I honestly do not understand how a freeway can dump a driver onto three other possible roads within 200 meters when the drivers are all going 60 to 75 mph. Frustrating, but now a permanent problem forever probably unless they slow everyone down with an exit lane that extends far before that ramp starts, and then put signs up before the ramp starts so motorists going to the airport will read to know whether to decide straight, left, or right at the quick bottom is the way to the airport.

[wanderer]

please count the pemex stations from just north of zacatecas starting where you turn toward saltillo. i traveled that road 3 days ago and  i make 8 1 way trips per year on that road and there are 9, count them, 9 pemex stations on that road. not counting 2 more that are about a mile off the road and you wont see them. and aguascalientes still works fine taking the inner ring road around the West side going north and the middle ring road around the West going south.

[tomgates]

Gas availability is the main reason the "old" route thru Lagos and then SLP is better.

[John Shrall]

There are quite a few Pemex locations on the Zacatecas-Saltillo route. I normally fill up at the intersection of 45D and 54 and have a large enough tank to make it to Laredo.

Pemex does have a gas station site. It may or may not be 100% up to date but it could be useful to anyone concerned about getting gas in parts of Mexico. Click gasolineras and then zoom in on the road you're interested in, Stations appear a little green dots and show the km marker of the location.

http://guiapemex.pemex.com/SitePages/home.aspx#!

 

[RickS]

7 hours ago, tomgates said:

Gas availability is the main reason the "old" route thru Lagos and then SLP is better.

Tom, there are plenty of Pemex stations along that route.... the OP just didn't know quite where they were (but in plain site). Gas availability is not a problem except on the 54 route between NW Saltillo and Monclova, where there is only one. Most people going that route are savvy to this situation. I just did that trip 2 days ago.

[RVGRINGO]

In Mexico, we made it a habit to check our gauge when approaching any PEMEX station. If it was down anywhere close to half a tank, we would fill up. That way, we always had sufficient range to make it to the next opportunity for gasoline. Never did have to “run on fumes“.