Derramadero-Saltillo-Ramos Arizpe Expressway. Coahuila (MEX)

The preliminary design provides for a new high-capacity road in the Saltillo metropolitan area, in the state of Coahuila (Mexico), in order to improve communications between the main residential and industrial centres of the region, reduce congestion on the existing road network and ease metropolitan travel.

It comprises approximately 48 km of new road infrastructure connecting the municipalities of Saltillo, Arteaga and Ramos Arizpe, linking the access corridors from Monterrey, Saltillo airport, the main urban axes and the road to Zacatecas.

The road is designed as a four-lane motorway, two in each direction, with a design speed of 110 km/h. Its route combines new-build sectors with the use of existing road corridors, adapting to a peri-urban setting with large industrial areas and mountainous terrain.

The main figures of the preliminary design include 10 junctions, 35 grade-separated crossings and 60 structures of different types, including bridges, viaducts, overpasses and underpasses and cut-and-cover sections. The drainage system comprises 140 cross-drainage works, with a combined length of approximately 6.7 km.

SERS’s work covers the study and comparison of route alternatives and the development of the selected solution, including the geometric definition of the horizontal alignment, vertical alignment and cross-section, the design of junctions and connections, earthworks, pavements, structures and the hydrological and hydraulic studies needed to size the drainage.

The preliminary design also includes the analysis of existing infrastructure, the definition of the main actions and their cost estimate, providing a technical basis for the development of a strategic infrastructure to improve mobility and connectivity in the Saltillo metropolitan area.