Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, June 15, 2026 – Paso del Guayabo, the dirt-road crossing between Ixtapa and San José del Valle, is closed and is not expected to reopen until after the rainy season.
The closure affects drivers between Puerto Vallarta and Bahía de Banderas who used the route to avoid traffic on Federal 200. Weekend rains raised flows near the Ameca and Mascota river area, making the temporary crossing unsafe.
For travel on Monday, Federal 200 is the reliable route. Drivers should allow extra time near the Río Ameca bridge, especially during commuter hours.
Temporary crossing was being removed
The Guayabo route was already under warning before Monday’s closure update. PVDN reported last week that drivers had been told not to cross Paso del Guayabo after rain destabilized the Río Ameca area.
Local reporting over the weekend said that the Ejido San José began removing the containers and tubes supporting the crossing on Saturday, June 13. The ejido’s notice said, “The road to Guayabo is now closed; we are removing the containers and pipes. Please take precautions.”
The crossing had been open for a little more than seven months. It reopened on November 10, 2025, after earlier repairs, and again became a daily shortcut between the Jalisco and Nayarit sides of the bay.
A seasonal shortcut is off the table
Paso del Guayabo has served as an informal pressure valve for traffic between Puerto Vallarta and Bahía de Banderas. It connects Ixtapa with San José del Valle without sending drivers through the usual Federal 200 bottleneck.
The route has been used by workers, students, transport drivers, farmers, and residents moving between the two municipalities. Recent local reports said the crossing charged 20 pesos per vehicle before the closure.
That shortcut is now off the table for the wet months, unless conditions change and the ejido announces otherwise. The latest local estimate points to late November or early December, after river levels drop and repair work becomes possible.
Rain risk remains active
The closure comes as western Mexico remains under rainy-season conditions. The national weather service’s June 15 outlook called for strong to intense rain in parts of Jalisco and Nayarit, with storms capable of raising river and stream levels.
Those conditions can change quickly around dirt roads, low crossings, and riverbeds. Federal civil protection guidance tells drivers not to cross rivers, streams, or low-water crossings when water is running.
PVDN’s recent high surf and rain alert also noted Paso del Guayabo as the main land-mobility issue tied to rising river conditions.
Bridge project remains the long-term fix
The closure again puts pressure on the planned permanent crossing between Puerto Vallarta and Bahía de Banderas. Federal project records list the Amado Nervo, or Río Ameca, bridge as a four-lane crossing about 800 meters long, with access roads on both sides.
Those federal project records say the bridge is intended to connect Avenida Federación across the Río Ameca between the two municipalities. The listed construction contract began in July 2025, with a 546-day execution period.
Until that bridge is open to traffic, drivers should treat Federal 200 as the only dependable highway link between Puerto Vallarta and Bahía de Banderas during rainy-season river rises.
PVDN has not located a current municipal notice giving a separate reopening date for the Ixtapa side. For now, the safest planning assumption is that Paso del Guayabo will remain closed through the wet months.
