Federal Highways ( es, Carretera Federal), are a series of highways that connect with roads from foreign countries; link two or more states of the Federation; and are wholly or mostly built by the Federation with federal funds or through federal grants by individuals, states, or municipalities. Locally known as federal highway corridors ( es, los corredores carreteros federales), built and maintained by the

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

via the

Secretariat of Communications and Transportation The Secretariat of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation (''Secretaría de Infraestructura, Comunicaciones y Transportes'', SICT) of Mexico is the national federal entity that regulates commercial road traffic and broadcasting. Its he ...

( es, Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, links=no, SCT). Federal Highways in Mexico can be classified into high-speed roads with restricted access (usually

toll highway A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...

s that may be segmented, and are marked by the letter "D") and low-speed roads with non-restricted access; not all corridors are completely improved.

High speed with restricted-access roads

Restricted-access roads, known as '' Autopistas'' or carreteras de cobro, are limited-access expressways with controlled points of access

interchanges Interchange may refer to: Transport * Interchange (road), a collection of ramps, exits, and entrances between two or more highways * Interchange (freight rail), the transfer of freight cars between railroad companies * Interchange station, a rai ...

. Access to these roads is generally prohibited for

pedestrian A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In modern times, the term usually refers to someone walking on a road or pavement, but this was not the case historically. The meaning of pedestrian is displayed with ...

s and

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

-drawn vehicles, as

fence A fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its whole length. ...

s are located at the side of the road for most of the length. ''Autopistas'' are highways with four or more defined lanes. ''Supercarreteras'' are always two-lane highways and are most commonly found in mountainous areas. The maximum

speed limit Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed - expres ...

is normally for

car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

s and for

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

es and

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

s. In some cases, the maximum speed can be .

Low speed with non-restricted-access roads

Low-speed/non-restricted-access roads, known as ''Autopistas'' or '' Carreteras'', comprise the majority of the road corridors. ''Autopistas'' are divided highways with four or more lanes. Most of these ''autopistas'' are single-carriageway roads converted into dual carriageway by building an adjacent road body next to the existing one. ''Carretera'' are free, and in most cases, two-lane highways that connect almost all of Mexico. These roads have interchanges at major roads, but most intersections are at grade. The maximum speed limit is for cars and for buses and trucks.

Numbering system

North–south highways are assigned odd numbers, while east-west highways are identified by even numbers. The start of the numbering system is located in the northwest of the country.

Exceptions to the numbering system

There are two exceptions to the numbering system:{{CN, date=January 2018 # Federal Highway 14 (Fed. 14) and Federal Highway 14D (Fed. 14D) from

Uruapan Uruapan is the second largest city in the Mexico, Mexican state of Michoacán. It is located at the western edge of the Tarascan Plateau, Purépecha highlands, just to the east of the Tierra Caliente (Mexico), Tierra Caliente region. Since the colo ...

, Michoacán, to Morelia, Michoacán, located in the midwest of the country. # Several roads with letter designations: the Autopista

Arco Norte The Arco Norte (lit.: Northern Arc), designated and signed as Federal Highway M40D, is a toll road in Mexico. It serves as a bypass around Greater Mexico City and currently links the Mexico-Puebla toll road on the east with the Mexico-Guadalajara ...

(M40D), Fed. I-20D (Libramiento de Irapuato), Fed. S30 (Libramiento Norponiente de Saltillo, signed as 40D) and, Fed. GUA 10D (Macrolibramiento Sur De Guadalajara).

Incidents

Mexico toll booth interstate disaster On 7 November 2021, 19 people were killed in a large crash on the Mexican Federal Highway. A shampoo truck smashed into cars at a toll booth on the highway connecting Mexico City with Puebla, causing a large fire. Events A truck travelling tow ...

Chiapas truck crash On December 9, 2021, a traffic accident occurred in the Mexican state of Chiapas when a freight truck smuggling over 180 migrants overturned and hit a bridge. At least 55 people were killed, and over a hundred were injured. Background In rece ...

References

External links

Mexico Secretaria of Comunicaciones y Transportes Official maps of federal highways - in Spanish10 Facts You Should Know About Driving to MexicoGreen Angels Roadside Assistance on Mexican Federal Highways
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