Corozal Free Zone Director Pushes Mexico to Reopen Subteniente López Border Bridge to Vehicle Traffic

Chetumal, Quintana Roo — The director of the Corozal free zone in Belize is pressing Mexico to reopen the Subteniente López border bridge to vehicle traffic, arguing that keeping it closed to cars will worsen congestion and slow crossings once the winter holiday rush begins.

Nery Ramírez said Mexico is carrying out a full modernization of the bridge, which links Chetumal with Belize, but has not said whether vehicles will be allowed to use it again. For several years, only the Chactemal bridge has handled traffic at the crossing.

“We’re happy that the Mexican government is rebuilding the bridge, because it will ease the flow of vehicles — sometimes it takes up to 90 minutes to cross,” Ramírez said.

He noted that the number of visitors heading to the Corozal free zone typically rises during the winter vacation season, and said a second open crossing would help spread the load.

No confirmation yet on vehicle access

Ramírez acknowledged that there is no concrete indication so far that the bridge will reopen to inbound and outbound vehicle traffic. “But that’s what we’re hoping for, because there’s no point rebuilding a bridge if it isn’t going to be used,” he said.

“We’re going to push to see whether entry and exit can be restored, so that we have two options. Otherwise, having a renovated bridge serves no purpose,” he added.

The free zone director said the area receives an average of 1.1 million visitors a year and that he expects that pace to hold in 2026.