A plan to
modernize Mexico's highway system was implemented for the 1995-2000 period. As such, the roads were categorized by how important they were to the country's transportation network. The two categories were basic network and state network. The
Secretary of Commerce and Transport placed its focus on the basic network, and came upon 10 main highways that held a large percentage of both
passenger and
freight traffic. The following is a list of the highways focused on by the
SCT:
MEX-1:
Mexico City to
Nogales,
Sonora, with branches to
Acapulco and
Tijuana. Major cities this route passes through are
Toluca,
Morelia,
Uruápan,
Lázaro Cárdenas,
Guadalajara,
Tepic,
Mazatlán,
Culiacán,
Los Mochis,
Ciudad Obregón,
Hermosillo and
Mexicali.
MEX-2:
Mexico City to
Nuevo Laredo, with a branch to Piedras Negras. Major cities this route passes through are
Querétaro,
San Luis Potosí,
Matehuala,
Saltillo,
Monterrey and
Monclova.
MEX-3:
Querétaro to
Ciudad Juárez. Major cities this route passes through are
Celaya,
Irapuato,
León,
Aguascalientes,
Zacatecas,
Fresnillo,
Torreón and
Chihuahua.
MEX-4:
Acapulco to
Tuxpan. Major cities this route passes through are
Chilpancingo,
Cuernavaca and
Mexico City.
MEX-5:
Mexico City to
Chetumal, with branches to
Oaxaca and
Chiapas. Major cities this route passes through are
Puebla,
Córdoba,
Coatzacoalcos,
Tuxtla Gutiérrez,
Villahermosa,
Campeche,
Mérida,
Cancún.
MEX-6:
Mazatlán to
Matamoros. Major cities this route passes through are
Durango,
Torreón,
Saltillo,
Monterrey and
Reynosa.
MEX-7:
Manzanillo to
Tampico. Major cities this route passes through are
Colima,
Guadalajara,
Lagos de Moreno and
San Luis Potosí.
MEX-8:
Veracruz to
Acapulco. Major cities this route passes through are
Orizaba,
Puebla,
Cuernavaca and
Chilpancingo.
MEX-9:
Veracruz to
Monterrey, with a branch to
Matamoros. Major cities this route passes through are
Poza Rica,
Tuxpán,
Tampico and
Ciudad Victoria.
MEX-10:
Tijuana to
Cabo San Lucas. Major cities this route passes through are
Ensenada and
La Paz.