Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido Highway Closure: Current Status of the Barranca Larga-Ventanilla Road

What is happening on the Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido highway?

As of September 3, 2026, the Barranca Larga-Ventanilla highway between Oaxaca City and Puerto Escondido remains blocked near kilometer 30, forcing travelers to use slower mountain routes while local communities demand promised access works and toll-free passage. The closure began on September 2 in the Coatlán area of Oaxaca's Sierra Sur. Local reports describe earth being placed across the highway, preventing vehicles from passing in either direction.

For anyone planning to travel between Oaxaca City and Puerto Escondido, this is an important disruption. The new highway normally makes it possible to travel between the capital and the coast in roughly two and a half hours. With the Barranca Larga-Ventanilla route unavailable, travelers must once again consider the older roads through Oaxaca's mountains, where journeys are considerably longer.

Why is the Barranca Larga-Ventanilla highway blocked?

Residents from the Coatlán area say that commitments made during the development of the highway have not been fulfilled. One of the principal demands reported by local media is the construction of an interchange, known locally as an entronque, that would give communities in the area better access to the new highway. Residents are also asking authorities to complete other infrastructure works connected with the project.

Another important issue is toll-free travel for local residents. When the highway opened in 2024, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador publicly proposed that Oaxacan residents should eventually be able to use the highway without paying a toll, while visitors and commercial freight would pay for passage. Protesters now argue that this commitment has not been fully implemented for communities along the route.

Reports from the blockade also mention requests for infrastructure that would allow livestock to cross safely between lands divided by the highway. The protesters have said they intend to continue their action until they receive a satisfactory response from state and federal authorities. Because negotiations and road conditions can change rapidly, travelers should confirm the latest status before beginning the journey.

Why the new Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido highway matters

The Barranca Larga-Ventanilla highway officially opened on February 4, 2024, after a construction process that stretched across approximately 15 years. The 104.3-kilometer road was one of the most important transportation projects completed in Oaxaca in recent decades. It reduced a journey that traditionally took more than six hours to approximately two and a half hours under normal driving conditions.

The route includes bridges, viaducts, tunnels, interchanges and access points built through the difficult terrain of the Sierra Madre del Sur. For visitors, its opening dramatically changed the possibilities for combining Oaxaca City, Monte Albán and the Pacific Coast within the same trip. Puerto Escondido became much easier to reach by road, while coastal communities gained faster connections with the Valles Centrales.

How can travelers reach Puerto Escondido during the closure?

The principal alternative being recommended during the current closure is Federal Highway 175 through Miahuatlán and San Pedro Pochutla. This is the traditional mountain route toward the coast. Travelers should expect a journey of roughly six to seven hours depending on weather, traffic and road conditions, rather than the approximately two and a half hours normally possible on the new highway.

Highway 175 is scenic but demanding. It crosses mountainous terrain with many curves, steep sections and limited opportunities for overtaking. September also falls within Oaxaca's rainy season, when landslides, road works and localized delays can affect mountain highways, so allowing generous extra travel time is advisable.

Federal Highway 131 through Sola de Vega is another traditional connection between the Valles Centrales and Puerto Escondido, although road conditions can vary considerably. Flying between Oaxaca International Airport and Puerto Escondido Airport may also be an option for travelers with flexible budgets and schedules, but regional air capacity is limited and seats can become scarce when highway disruptions occur.

What should visitors to Oaxaca do now?

If you are staying in Oaxaca City or visiting Monte Albán and plan to continue to Puerto Escondido, avoid assuming that the normal two-and-a-half-hour highway journey will be available. Check road conditions shortly before departure and speak with your hotel, rental-car company, bus operator or transportation provider. Travelers with flights, hotel reservations or other fixed commitments on the coast should leave additional time in their plans.

The current closure does not mean that Oaxaca's coast is inaccessible, but it does make the journey more complicated. Oaxaca has long been shaped by its mountains, and the older roads remain important links between the Valles Centrales and Pacific communities. Until the Barranca Larga-Ventanilla highway reopens, patience, flexible scheduling and current local information are the best tools for anyone traveling between Oaxaca City and Puerto Escondido.