Critical Cabo Traffic Upgrade Still On Schedule Despite Recent Protests: What Tourists Can Expect

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If you have traveled to Los Cabos at any point in the last year, you are well aware of the massive construction project dominating the main artery of San José del Cabo.

The Transpeninsular Highway overpass project at the Fonatur roundabout (recently renamed the Glorieta de las Mujeres Libres) is easily the most critical infrastructure upgrade happening in Baja right now. More than 62,000 vehicles navigate this exact bottleneck every single day, making it the most heavily congested traffic point in the entire state.

However, earlier this week, the project ground to a complete halt due to a massive labor strike by the truck drivers hauling materials for the site. With tourists and locals alike suffering through daily construction gridlock, the big question is: will this protest delay the final completion date?

According to city officials, the answer is a definitive no. Here is the latest update on the construction timeline, how the city plans to make up for lost time, and what tourists can expect when navigating the corridor this spring.

The Overpass Timeline

The highly anticipated overpass is designed to completely eliminate the stop-and-go nightmare at the Fonatur roundabout, allowing highway traffic to flow seamlessly over the intersection while local traffic navigates underneath.

• The Original Goal: The massive engineering project was slated for a 13-month construction window, with a target delivery date set for April 2026.
• The Protest Interruption: As we reported previously, the project was stalled this week when the CATEM union truckers initiated a work stoppage, demanding nearly 10 million pesos in unpaid wages from the primary construction company, PLACOSA.
• The Current Status: Despite the sudden halt in daily labor, Roberto Flores, the Director of Urban Development, officially confirmed that the project is still mathematically on schedule to meet its original April deadline.

The “Buffer” Strategy

How can a project endure a multi-day total work stoppage without delaying the final delivery date? It all comes down to aggressive early pacing.

• Ahead of Schedule: According to Director Flores, the construction crews had been working at an incredibly accelerated pace prior to the strike. Before the trucks stopped rolling, the project was sitting at the 10-month mark but was significantly ahead of its projected milestones. This created a highly valuable “time buffer” that the city is now relying on to absorb the impact of the protest.
• The Night Shift Contingency: If the negotiations between the truckers and PLACOSA drag on and threaten to consume that time buffer, the city already has a contingency plan in place. The construction company will be required to reinforce its labor force and aggressively implement overnight construction shifts to get the project back on track with the Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications, and Transportation (SICT) timeline.

Navigating the Corridor This Spring

While it is incredibly reassuring to know the overpass will likely be finished by April, tourists visiting during the peak spring travel window still have to navigate the active construction zone.

If you are flying into SJD this month and your hotel is located in the Cabo San Lucas tourist corridor, you absolutely must factor this bottleneck into your travel times.

• The Airport Run: When heading back to the airport for your departure, do not rely on standard Google Maps time estimates. Add a mandatory 30- to 45-minute buffer to your travel time specifically to account for the slow-moving traffic merging around the Fonatur roundabout construction barriers.
• The Evening Commute: If you are staying in Cabo San Lucas but planning to drive up to San José del Cabo for the Thursday night Art Walk or a dinner reservation at Flora Farms, leave early. The northbound traffic hitting the roundabout between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. is exceptionally dense.

Final Thoughts

The short-term pain of the Fonatur overpass construction is ultimately going to yield a massive, long-term gain for the entire destination.

Once the concrete is poured and the barricades are removed this April, the daily commute between the airport, San José del Cabo, and the luxury resort corridor will be faster, safer, and significantly less stressful for millions of annual visitors.

And if you aren’t familiar with where the roundabout is, check out the map below. It is right next to the Chedraui Selecto as you enter into San Jose del Cabo.