PUERTO VALLARTA, Jalisco, Sept. 16, 2026 — A City Council proposal would reopen Avenida México between Venezuela and 31 de Octubre to light vehicles after work ended on the 5 de Diciembre section.
Council members did not authorize an immediate opening. They sent the proposal to municipal commissions for review and a formal recommendation, according to reporting from the council session.
Mayor Luis Munguía said Traffic and Civil Protection officials would assess the route. He proposed a four-week pilot before a final decision.
What the proposal would change
Councilor Marcia Raquel Bañuelos Macías submitted the initiative during the resumed Sept. 10 ordinary council session. That meeting began Thursday but was suspended after an extended recess and resumed Monday.
The proposal covers Avenida México from Venezuela south to 31 de Octubre in colonia 5 de Diciembre. It would permit only light vehicles after municipal departments verify road conditions, signs, accessibility, and other safety requirements.
Drivers should not treat the proposal as a current traffic change. The section remains closed to vehicles while the municipal review moves forward.
If approved, the measure would restore vehicle access near Parque Hidalgo and the northern end of the Malecón. It could also change access for taxis, delivery vehicles, residents and customers of nearby businesses.
The initiative cites an agreement signed Oct. 14, 2025, between municipal officials and local merchants. Bañuelos said the agreement called for two traffic lanes to reopen after construction ended.
She also proposed requiring technical, legal and mobility studies before any permanent closure or conversion to pedestrian use. Business owners, residents and other affected groups would be included in that process.
Merchants press for vehicle access
Abel Ramírez, identified during the meeting as a Plaza Malecón merchant representative, told council members that nearby businesses supported reopening the street.
“We have been patient. Yes, the street looks nice, but it doesn’t work,” Ramírez said in Spanish.
He said merchants want taxis and other federally licensed vehicles to reach 31 de Octubre. Those vehicles carry passengers arriving through the airport and cruise port, he told council members.
Ramírez said the construction period lasted about eight months after merchants initially expected six weeks. He also linked the continuing closure to reduced customer access, although no sales figures were presented during the discussion.
Munguía said the city must consider pedestrian and cyclist safety before vehicles return. He proposed working with merchants during a pilot lasting at least four weeks.
Councilor Víctor Bernal Vargas supported referring the request for prompt review. Council members then voted to send the initiative to committees for analysis and a formal ruling.
A decision delayed by months of construction
The northern Malecón project was announced in August 2025 as a connection between 31 de Octubre and Argentina along Avenida México. Work resumed after street protests in October, when residents and merchants challenged the project’s effect on vehicle access.
By April, the work was at least four months behind its original schedule. At that time, pending work included storm drains near 31 de Octubre and a rainwater collector on Jesús Langarica.
Puerto Vallarta officials had already indicated that the city would decide in September whether the finished section should remain pedestrian or reopen to vehicles.
Our review of the municipal council records found no final order authorizing vehicles to return as of Sept. 16. The existing closure remains in effect unless the city approves the proposal or authorizes a pilot.
