Motorists and users of federal transportation services should plan to depart earlier than usual or reschedule their trips due to a “mega-march” organized by members of the National Transporters Association (ANTAC) and the National Front for the Rescue of the Mexican Countryside. The organizations have confirmed that blockades and severe traffic disruptions are expected on the Mexico-Cuernavaca highway and other major access routes connecting to Mexico City.
The mass mobilization is scheduled to formally begin this Wednesday, May 20, at 9:00 a.m. Demonstrators will utilize heavy trucks and agricultural machinery to advance slowly from various states across the country toward the national capital, creating severe traffic bottlenecks at toll plazas starting in the early morning hours.
David Estévez Gamboa, the national leader of the transporters’ organization, explained that the protest aims to unify the demands of productive sectors that feel vulnerable and ignored by federal authorities. Operators traveling from regions such as Chihuahua, Guerrero, Tlaxcala, and Morelos have been instructed to carry out partial closures or total blockades as a pressure tactic.
In addition to the highway segment connecting the state of Morelos, direct traffic disruptions are also expected to impact the Mexico-Pachuca, Mexico-Querétaro, Mexico-Puebla, and Mexico-Toluca highways. Collateral disruptions are also anticipated on the connecting routes of the Circuito Exterior Mexiquense and the Arco Norte expressway, which will effectively strangle the flow of commercial traffic toward the center of the country.
Mega-March Route within Mexico City
Once they have passed the checkpoints at the state borders, the demonstrators will gather en masse in the vicinity of the Angel of Independence roundabout. Mexico City traffic authorities anticipate total road closures along the tourist and financial corridor of Paseo de la Reforma, as well as on Avenida Juárez, Eje Central Lázaro Cárdenas, and 5 de Mayo Street. The passage of these contingents will disrupt local public transportation routes in the capital, particularly Metrobús lines 1 and 7. For those traveling in urgent situations, secondary thoroughfares—such as Constituyentes, Eje 3 Sur, or Avenida Chapultepec—are recommended as mandatory alternate routes.
Critical Demands and Threats Ahead of the World Cup
Prominent among the transporters’ list of demands is an urgent call to put an end to extortion and violent robberies on federal highways. The protesters also seek dignified pension schemes, a reliable supply of medications, and fair compensation for the widows and orphans of drivers killed while performing their logistical transport duties.
Meanwhile, farmers organized under the “El Campo es Primero” (The Countryside Comes First) movement are demanding a comprehensive review of water laws and the urgent establishment of guaranteed prices for staple grains. The leaders of the mobilization issued a stern warning: unless effective negotiation tables are established with the administration of President Claudia Sheinbaum, they will shift their protests and blockades to the airport terminals in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey—timing their actions to coincide with the immediate run-up to the opening of the 2026 World Cup.
Source: diariodemorelos
