Here's Why Traffic in Cancun Is So Bad Right Now

As Cancun reaches middle age, some infrastructure upgrades are welcome – although the traffic waits are not.

Given Cancun, Mexico's rising prominence as a Caribbean tourist destination, it’s easy to forget that the city has been around only since 1970. That’s when the government launched a plan to turn the miles of local mangroves and sand into a tourist attraction, complete with hotels, beach bars, shops, golf courses, and an airport.

Building a road between Cancun and Puerto Juarez was also part of the plan -- and the region has been plagued with traffic problems ever since.

Don't Miss: Top Tourist Destination Has a Growing Problem

Now, a travel writer is highlighting some of the worst traffic jams in Cancun's history.

“It took me one hour to go 12 miles in Cancun,” said Meagan Drillinger, writing in Travel Weekly.

In April, Drillinger landed some downtime at a new all-inclusive resort 12 miles south of the Cancun airport.

“The day of departure I left with, what I thought, was ample time to make it to the airport and security,” she wrote. “Instead, I ended up racing to my gate just in time.”

Travel is so bad right now that travelers are abandoning those ubiquitous Cancun hotel travel vans on local roadways, choosing instead to sprint for the airport to make their flights, lugging suitcases and loaded backpacks in the process.

Drillinger attributed the worsening traffic issue to ongoing growth pains -- not surprising for a relatively small geographical area that hosted 20.5 million visitors in 2022. One solution to that problem is also part of the Cancun traffic headaches – at least for the short term.

“Highway 307, the four-lane major artery that runs down the length of Quintana Roo to all of the resorts and beach towns, cannot handle the number of visitors,” Drillinger noted. “Those who live in downtown Cancun and work in the Hotel Zone and beyond are dealing with three-hour daily commutes.”

Solution Part of the Short-Term Problem

Something has to change, and it did – a $400 million roadway and bridge infrastructure that’s triggered even more traffic slowdowns as part of the bargain.

“The massive construction projects in Cancun include a new bridge, the rehabilitation of Luis Donaldo Colosio Boulevard, the renovation of Chac Mool Avenue, and improvements to the Cancun Airport Road Distributor, Drillinger said, citing information from AirportCancun.com.

The project involves rebuilding the road surfaces with hydraulic concrete along with the construction of two pedestrian bridges, and traffic lights. The roadway running straight in and out of the airport is also being reconfigured to aid with easier terminal access, with the roadwork expected to run through October 2023.

What can Cancun tourists do in the meantime? Sit, grit their teeth, and wait, Dillinger said.

“Until the work is completed, Cancun Airport is recommending flyers take the following travel times into consideration,” she wrote.

• Estimate 45 minutes travel time to the airport from the Hotel Zone, downtown, Isla Mujeres and Puerto Morelos.
• Estimate a 60-minute trip from Playa Mujeres, Costa Mujeres, and Maroma Beach.
• Estimate a 75-minute trip from Playa del Carmen.
• Estimate a 90-minute trip from Xcaret or Puerto Aventuras.
• Estimate up to two hours from Akumal and Tulum.