Gribblenación México; Federal Highway 15 in Metropolitan Guadalajara

Mexican Federal Highway 15 is the main surface through route in the Guadalajara Metropolitan area. The highway is also the longest in the Federal Road System at 2,363.51 kilometers. Federal Highway 15 begins at the United States border in Nogales, Sonora and terminates in Mexico City.

Much of Avenida Adolfo López Mateos Sur carries Federal Highway 15 in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area. The Federal Highway corridor ceases to exist in Zapopan at Jalisco State Highway 154. Functionally there is no Federal Highway 15 within much of Zapopan and all of Guadalajara, but the corridor often appeared on commercial maps following Avenida Adolfo López Mateos Sur and Carretera Guadalajara - Tepic. The Federal Route reemerges at the junction of Jalisco State Highway 154 and Carretera Guadalajara - Tepic in in western Zapopan where it continues towards Tepic.

Through traffic in Guadalajara must navigate the control destination signage rather than rely upon reassurance shields for Federal Highway 15. This blog will examine the corridor of Federal Highway 15 through Guadalajara Metropolitan along with the implied through route Guadalajara.

Part 1; the history of Federal Highway 15 in the Guadalajara Metropolitan area

Mexico Federal Highway 15 is the longest highway in the Federal Road System at 2,363.51 kilometers. The highway begins at the Nogales Port of Entry at the United States and Mexico border in the state of Sonora. From Sonora the highway travels southeasterly through many of the largest cities in the interior Mexico. Federal Highway 15 terminates in Mexico City at Federal Highway 15D and Federal Highway 57D.

Federal Highway 15 is one of the original highways in the Federal Road System. Said system was created during October 1949 along with a subsidiary of the Nacional Financiera known as Compañía Constructora del Sur. The Mexican Federal Road System was laid out in a grid similar to the then already long-established US Route System. North/South Federal Roads were given odd numbers which ascended east from the states bordering the Pacific Ocean. East/West Federal Roads were given even numbers which ascended southward from the United States border.

Compañía Constructora del Sur in addition to creating a grid-based highway network was charged with creating standards for major highways in Mexico. The agency opened their first Autopista in 1952 which is now part of Federal Highway 95D between Mexico City and Cuernavaca. During August 1956 Compañía Constructora del Sur went through a name change to Caminos Federales de Ingresos. During July 1958 the agency was decentralized and was attached to the Ministery of Communications and Public Works. During June 1959 Caminos Federales de Ingresos was again rebranded as Caminos y Puentes Federales de Ingresos.

Within cities the Federal Road System ceases to be maintained to by Caminos y Puentes Federales de Ingresos. Travelers most rely upon local control signage which often does not include highway reassurance signage. To that end, there is not a true path Federal Highway 15 takes through the city of Guadalajara due to route not existing within the jurisdiction.

Most commercial map sources insinuate Federal Highway 15 in Guadalajara entered the city heading north along Avenida Adolfo López Mateos Sur. The highway is often shown following Avenida Adolfo López Mateos Sur into Guadalajara and turning towards Tepic via Carretera Guadalajara - Tepic. This routing can be seen on the 1952 Carreteras de Mexico Highway map.

The Avenida Adolfo López Mateos Sur and Carretera Guadalajara - Tepic routing of Federal Highway 15 can be seen inferred on the 1956 Shell Highway map of Mexico.

The 1960 Harolds Club strip map of Alaska to Mexico is less clear but more or less has Federal Highway 15 bypassing much of downtown Guadalajara.

Jalisco maintains an online government atlas which displays the highway maintenance sections within the State. Federal Highway 15 ceases to exist at Jalisco State Highway 154 along Avenida Adolfo López Mateos Sur via Zapopan in Zapopan.

Federal Highway 15 is shown to resume on Carretera Guadalajara - Tepic at Jalisco State Highway 154 near the western limits of Zapopan.

It is unclear if the numbering of Jalisco State Highway 154 is intended to be some sort of reference to Federal Highway 15. The State Highway corridor forms a western beltway around the Guadalajara Metropolitan area which originates at Federal Highway 23 in Tlaquepaque. The State Highway loops around the western parts of the Metropolitan area and terminates at Federal Highway 54 north of downtown Guadalajara in the Zapopan neighborhood of Benito Juárez.

Part 2; a drive on Federal Highway 15 in Metropolitan Guadalajara

Federal Highway 15 is routed along the southern shore of Lake Chapala to the town of Jocotepec. From Jocotepec northbound Federal Highway 15 intersects Federal Highway 80 and Federal Highway 54D near Acatlán de Juárez.

Below Federal Highway 80 eastbound can be seen transitioning onto northbound Federal Highway 15 near Acatlán de Juárez. Both Federal Highways 80 and 54 are inferred to be carried along northbound Federal Highways 15 towards Guadalajara.

Northbound Federal Highway 15 approaches the small community of Santa Cecila where it intersects the Southern Super Bypass of Guadalajara (numbered Federal Highway GUA 10D).

Federal Highway 15 continues northbound into the community of Buenavista where it intersects Jalisco State Highway 102 at Liberación Tlajomulco. Jalisco State Highway 102 takes traffic east towards Chapala.

Northbound Federal Highway 15 enters Santa Cruz de las Flores where it intersects Jalisco State Highways 601 and 113. Jalisco State Highway 601 branches west on Camino a San Isidro Mazatepec whereas Jalisco State Highway 113 tracks east on Circuito Metropolitano Carretera a Chapala. Federal Highways 23 and 35 are used as control points for traffic turning east on Jalisco State Highway 113.

Federal Highway 15 passes the entrance to Las Plazas Outlet. For unclear reasons the non-existent Federal Highway 39 is used as a control shield on the gantry signage for the Outlets.

Northbound Federal Highway 15 enters San Agustin and intersects Avenida Camino Real a Colima.

Traffic on Federal Highway 15 is greeted with an overhead sign welcoming them to Metropolitan Guadalajara.

Federal Highway 15 passes Ramon Corona which is carries Jalisco State Highway 117 to Santa Anita. The Federal Highway corridor continues north into Zapopan on Avenida Adolfo López Mateos Sur where the gap in the route begins at Jalisco State Highway 154. Zapopan in recent decades has experienced immense growth and now is the tenth largest city in Mexico with an approximate population of 1,026,492 as of the 2020 census. Zapopan was formally founded as a Spanish town during December 1541. Pre-Hispanic Tzapopan may have been in existence since 1160, but the history is murky due to lack of written records.

Avenida Adolfo López Mateos Sur continues north into the Guadalajara city limit. The corridor intersects Carretera Guadalajara - Tepic in view of Hotel Riu Plaza Guadalajara and the Matute Remus Bridge. The 669-foot-high hotel was completed in 2011 and is presently the tallest structure in the city of Guadalajara. Construction of the cable-stayed Matute Remus Bridge began along Carretera Guadalajara - Tepic in late 2009 and was completed in 2011. Traffic can transition from Avenida Adolfo López Mateos Sur onto the continuation of Federal Highway 15 along Carretera Guadalajara - Tepic via movements along frontage roads.

Guadalajara lies within Atemajac Valley in an area which is thought to not have had human settlements prior to Spanish contact. The first town site of Guadalajara was plotted in 1532 but did not last long due to a lack of usable water. The town site moved three additional times with the final and current site being chosen in February 1542. Upon being formally established the town of Guadalajara would grow rapidly into the major city in New Spain.

Guadalajara would play numerous parts in the Mexican War of Independence and would become the capital of the then new State of Jalisco in 1823. During the 1880s and 1890s the city would become a hub of railroad transportation which saw it modernize entering the twentieth century. Guadalajara in recent decades has been losing population and now is the seventh largest city in Mexico. As of the 2020 census Guadalajara has a population of 1,385,629.

Much of the population leaving Guadalajara has been relocating to nearby Zapopan. The Zapopan Municipality (the Mexican equivalent to a county) has recently surpassed the Guadalajara Municipality in terms of sheer population. The city and Municipality of Zapopan have far more available lands for urban development which has seen the Guadalajara Metropolitan area sprawl to the northwest.

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