High vehicle load on the route to the Pacific and other routes to tourist destinations

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May 1, 2026May 1, 2026By Mario Vásquez
High vehicle load on the route to the Pacific and other routes to tourist destinations

The prolonged rest between the holiday this Friday, May 1 and the weekend It caused thousands of people to travel to different destinations outside the capital and the metropolitan area, which increased the vehicle load on the route to the Pacific and other main roads, reported Provial and several PMTs.

The panorama On the route to the Pacific this May 1, there has been a high vehicle load heading towards the south of the country, because many people take advantage of the long break to travel to beaches, spas and other tourist destinations, said Samy Gómez, assistant spokesperson for the General Directorate of Road Protection and Safety (Provial).

The high vehicle load on the route to the Pacific (CA-9 South) responds mainly to the increase in travel due to the May 1 holiday, which motivates many Guatemalans to travel to different tourist destinations, he added.

He said that slow traffic was reported since the morning hours, mainly derived from a traffic incident at kilometer 13 heading south, around 7:00 a.m., which affected mobility in that sector.

At noon, traffic continued to be quite heavy, with traffic accumulation from the Raúl Aguilar Batres road, Villa Lobos, Villa Nueva and the Amatitlán sector, and the flow remained slow as the day progressed, the spokesperson explained.

Meanwhile, for Sunday May 3 A considerable increase in vehicular traffic is again expected, but in a northerly direction, especially during the afternoon and evening, due to the return of travelers to Guatemala City.

More vehicles than a normal day

Although Gómez indicated that they do not have exact data on the number of vehicles currently circulating on the Palín-Escuintla highway, he pointed out that a considerable vehicle flow is observed on that stretch.

Provial summarizes the activity in other sectors:

  • Slow transit from Villa Nueva to Amatitlán, with an approximate extension of up to 10 kilometers in a southerly direction.
  • In other important sections towards the Pacific, such as the CA-2 West and the CA-2 East, no major complications for vehicular circulation are reported.
  • High vehicle load is also recorded on other routes in the country. For example, on the route to the Atlantic (CA-9 North) slow traffic is reported in sectors such as Guastatoya, El Rancho and Teculután.
  • On the Inter-American route (CA-1 West), high traffic flow is observed in the San Lucas sector, towards the west and Antigua Guatemala.
  • On the highway to El Salvador (CA-1 Oriente) traffic is considerable in the Barberena and Cuilapa sectors.

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New Villa

Dalia Santos, spokesperson for the Municipal Traffic Police (PMT) of Villa Nueva, reported that in the tours carried out by agents of that institution from the early hours of the morning they observed high vehicle load.

He pointed out that around 5:00 a.m., four traffic incidents were already recorded in some sectors of the municipality, but the one that impacted traffic the most was the one that occurred at kilometer 13.5 heading south.

He indicated that this traffic incident, which left one person dead, caused traffic to practically come to a standstill from the El Trébol sector, the Raúl Aguilar Batres road and towards the CA-9. He added that the Public Ministry completed the diligence around 9:50 a.m. and the passage was freed, so mobility improved at kilometer 13.5.

Santos indicated that the vehicular movement with people leaving for tourist destinations is similar to that of Holy Wednesday.

The line of vehicles is reported up to kilometer 16 and 17, as a reference point, in the tunnel sector the traffic towards the south coast was completely stopped, in conditions similar to those of Easter.

He said that around noon there was a line of vehicles of about 10 kilometers, spanning from kilometer 16 to 26, with traffic towards the jurisdiction of Amatitlán and Palín, Escuintla.

He added that during the weekend circulation in the area could be reduced, because many people leave the capital for the interior of the country; However, on Sunday there would be a high influx due to the return to the capital.

Palin, Escuintla

Carlos Blanco, director of the PMT of Palín (Escuintla), explained that in that sector the passage is free to the north, but to the south congestion is reported in Escuintla, around kilometer 60, with about two kilometers of lines of vehicles, due to traffic heading towards the South Coast or the Port of San José.

For all of Friday, they anticipate more vehicle load than normal, since, it coincides with other sources, many people take advantage of the holiday to travel. On Saturday there could be less traffic and congestion is expected again for part of Sunday for the return trip.

Blanco indicated that they have monitored that around kilometer 60 about 500 vehicles arrive per hour, while on a normal day between 200 and 250 per hour circulate.

Departures from the capital

Amílcar Montejo, road spokesman for the Municipality of Guatemala, explained what traffic was like at the exits of the capital.

He mentioned that the route to the Atlantic is congested from kilometer 6 to 16, mainly due to the departure of vehicles towards Sanarate and El Progreso. He added that for a moment there was difficulty with a trailer on the road to San José del Golfo, but it has since been removed.

On the Aguilar Batres road, traffic was reported slow from 33rd Street to the Villa Lobos descent, due to the accident in which one person died.

He indicated that the flow of vehicles heading towards the route to the Pacific began to increase, which he attributed to trips to the Port of San José and other beaches. Therefore, high vehicle load is reported from the intersection of the peripheral and Calzada Aguilar Batres to kilometer 18 in Villa Nueva.

He said that at the Wholesale Central (Cenma) traffic is manageable.

Meanwhile, on the Roosevelt road, high traffic is also reported from the bridge onwards, a behavior that continues until kilometer 30 in San Lucas, and towards Antigua Guatemala and Chimaltenango.

Montejo pointed out that there are reports of congestion on the highway to El Salvador, at kilometer 12 of Santa Catarina Pinula, but about two and a half kilometers later the traffic is freed.

“Traffic has already begun to leave the city to go to the beaches, spas and tourist centers, and take advantage of this Friday at noon, as well as Saturday and Sunday,” he commented.

He indicated that about 600,000 vehicles will circulate in the capital, half of what normally passes through, so this Friday there will be no reversible lanes.

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